Tom Thum’s Beatbox Meets Symphony at Paax GNP

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Australian beatboxer Tom Thum will make his Mexican debut at the fourth edition of the Festival Paax GNP, showcasing the intersection between concert music and the percussive effects he creates with his voice. His performances, Live from the Larynx and Thum Prints, will take place alongside La Orquesta Imposible under the artistic direction of Alondra de la Parra.

A Fusion of Minimalism and Innovation

Thum, a proponent of minimalist music, cites composers such as Igor Stravinsky, Arvo Pärt, and Cristóbal Tapia de Veer—known for his scores in Utopia and The White Lotus—as influences.

"I’m drawn to rhythm, not necessarily percussion, but pieces with strong, marked pulses that I can latch onto," Thum said in an interview with Excélsior. "Anything with irregular time signatures or a powerful musical drive excites me. When I hear an existing piece, I think, ‘I wish we had written this!’ Fast tempos and energy inspire me, even if they don’t include drums."

Mastering the Art of Beatboxing

Thum discovered his talent through relentless practice. "I spent hours in the shower because the acoustics were good. It was a matter of patience and consistency," he explained.

When asked how many instruments he can mimic with his voice, he replied, "I’ve never counted, but there are hundreds. Each new sound, like a trumpet, takes hours to perfect. Sometimes I reinvent existing sounds, and other times I invent my own."

Collaborative Performance with La Orquesta Imposible

For Thum Prints, Thum collaborated with composer Gordon Hamilton, whom he met in Brisbane, Australia. The piece features three and a half hours of original music blending contemporary voice, beatbox, and orchestral arrangements.

"I’ll be the soloist alongside Alondra, with Hamilton handling samples, synthesizers, talkbox, and vocoder," Thum said. "There will be moments where I shine as a soloist, but I’ll also contribute percussion, melodic vocals, and loops. It’s not just one instrument—I’ll use as many sounds as possible."

Thum previously recorded a studio album with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, a project that took seven years to complete as he pursued perfection.

The Festival Paax GNP performances mark a milestone in Thum’s career, bridging beatboxing and symphonic music in a groundbreaking showcase.