Violinist Thomas Gould is a versatile figure who plays electric violin as well as the conventional instrument, and jazz as well as classical music. He is co-leader of the Britten Sinfonia. Gould was born in 1983 in London. His older sister, Clio Gould, 15 years older, is the leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Sinfonietta, and it was she who inspired him to become a violinist. Gould attended the Royal Academy of Music from age 16, studying with György Pauk, and in 2009, he was named an Associate of the school. His name began to spread more widely, and in 2011, he toured with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. He performed with the Aurora Orchestra, playing Nico Muhly's Seeing Is Believing on a six-string electric violin and giving the world premiere recording of the work that year on the Decca label, and he served as director of the Aurora Orchestra in the 2010s. Gould made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2012, in a concert conducted by John Adams, and he has since appeared with major orchestras in Britain, the U.S., and beyond, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, and the Riga Sinfonietta. He has played chamber music with the Nash Ensemble and other groups. Gould often plays jazz at London's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, and he has collaborated with jazz, rock, and pop musicians, including Brad Mehldau, Radiohead, and Rufus Wainwright. For a time, he was a member of the swing quintet Man Overboard. In the early 2010s, Gould became the leader of the Britten Sinfonia; he continues to serve in that position as co-leader with Jacqueline Shave. Gould made his recording debut in 2009, performing the violin concerto of Christopher Ball on the Omnibus album Celtic Twilight. He has recorded for various labels, including Harmonia Mundi, Albion, and Champs Hill, where his 2014 album Bach to Parker reflected the multiplicity of his musical interests. In 2021, Gould appeared on the second of a pair of recordings of folk song-oriented music by Ralph Vaughan Williams on Albion.