OAKHURST, Calif. — Typical of a bishop, Chance Thomas was at a stake youth event in Fresno while a movie for which he had written the score was receiving an Oscar March 23.
"I found out later that night when I got home," said Bishop Thomas, who, as a composer by profession, not only wrote the complete orchestral score but also produced the soundtrack for the digitally animated short film, "The ChubbChubbs," produced by Sony Pictures.
"Obviously, I was thrilled," he said, emphasizing the film was a team effort. "It is exciting when a piece of film that is well done technically and artistically and is also good clean fun gets this kind of recognition."
Bishop Thomas of the Oakhurst Ward, Fresno California West Stake, also utilized the talents of the Utah Film Orchestra to record his composition. That recording was later blended with the sound effects (which Bishop Thomas contracted out through his production company HugeSound), the songs and dialogue at a Sony Pictures sound stage in Southern California.
From his youth, music has infused Bishop Thomas' life. He started playing musical instruments — cello, violin, piano, drums — as a youngster. He wrote his first song at 10. He graduated from BYU in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in music after serving a Church mission to Northern Italy. He and his wife, Pamela, have two children.
He has written and produced music for more than 60 Church productions over the years, such as adoption and HomeFront spots and many direct-response Church announcements.
In 1996 he received an Emmy award for a Church spot viewed in the Rocky Mountain region for outstanding film for a public service announcement.
Besides maintaining his own production company, Bishop Thomas is employed by Sierra Tel Entertainment in Oakhurst where he composes music for interactive games.
What are Bishop Thomas' musical goals? He explained that President Spencer W. Kimball once gave a talk on the "The Gospel Vision of the Arts."
"It would be my highest ambition to play a microscopic role in bringing that vision to pass," Bishop Thomas said.
