Addison Tharp is an accomplished composer, arranger, trumpet player, and pianist based in Los Angeles, California. Originally from Marietta, Georgia, Tharp began playing piano at age 6 and picked up the trumpet at age 12.

Tharp received a BFA in Jazz Studies with high honors from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance in 2021 where he studied with Bill Lucas, Andrew Bishop, and Ellen Rowe, during which time, he was feature at many different esteemed venues and festivals such as the Umbria Jazz Festival, the Detroit Jazz Festival, Cliff Bell’s, Blue Llama, the Ark, Hill Auditorium, and Canterbury House. He received his Master’s Degree from USC’s Thornton School of Music in 2023 where he studied with Vince Mendoza, Jason Goldman, and Michael Stever.

Tharp has recorded, performed, and written for many different artists including the Yellow Jackets, John Clayton, Christine Jensen, Scotty Barnhart, and Charles McPhearson. He has received many awards, most notably being selected to the Jazz Education Network Young Composer Showcase for his large ensemble piece titled “Out of the Fog”, and the Downbeat Magazine award for Jazz Arrangment for his big band arrangement of Lenny White’s “L’s Bop” in 2022.

Currently, Tharp is continuing his education at USC, where he is completing his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Jazz Studies where he can be heard playing lead trumpet in the Thornton Jazz Orchestra as well as the Afro-Latin American Jazz Ensemble. In addition, his original compositions and arrangements can be heard in TJO as well as many other ensembles, such as the Justin Gilmore-Gresham Big Band. In 2024, Tharp founded his own large ensemble titled “Modern Motion Orchestra”, whose first project is set to release in late 2025. He also teaches private trumpet, piano, composition, and improvisation lessons at Coast Music in Manhattan Beach and can be heard playing his music around the Los Angeles music scene.