Thomas Strauß was born 1965 in Ludwigshafen, Germany. He received his early musical education at the Conservatory of Strasbourg, France. He attended the State Academy of Music in Freiburg studying with Hans Musch (organ), A. K. Klein-Sheljasov (piano) and Klaus Hövelmann(conducting). Further organ study began in 1990 with Ludwig Doerr, Xavier Darasse and Klemens Schnorr. Working towards the highest church music degree available in Germany, the „A-Exam“, Thomas Strauß studied harpsichord with Robert Hill and choral and orchestral conducting with Hans-Michael Beuerle. He participated in masterclasses with many acclaimed organists such as Zsigmond Szathmary, Ludger Lohmann, Wolfgang Rübsam und Daniel Roth.

In 1990 and 1991, he received recognition for his outstanding abilities as an organist by winning major prizes in the National Young Musicians Competition of Germany and the Conservatory Organ Competition. He was awarded the degree with honors in 1992.

From 1990 to 1992, Thomas Strauß held the position of principal organist and choir director at the motherhouse of St. Vincent in Freiburg, Germany. Since 1993, he has been the organist and choir director at St. John The Baptist Catholic Church in Oppenau. In the same year, Strauß founded the „Bach Consortium Thomas Strauss“, a chamber music ensemble, and in 1995 the „Bach-Chor Ortenau“, presenting larger works such as The Christmas Oratorio, St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion by J. S. Bach, and Elijah by Mendelssohn–Bartholdy. He serves as artistic director and conductor for both organizations and is initiator of the „Festwoche klassischer Musik“ in Oppenau. In 1998 and 2002, Thomas Strauß and his „Bach-Chor Ortenau“ were invited by Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia to perform Bach’s St. John Passion, Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio at the Bach–Händel Festival. In 1997, he conducted an organ masterclass and played at that festival as a harpsichordist and organist. In 2002, the faculty of Shenandoah Conservatory voted unanimously to award to Thomas Strauß the “Conservatory Medal of Excellence”. In 2000, he concertized as a pianist with the Freiburg Chamber Choir in Brazil and accompanied this choir on a concert tour through New Zealand in the summer of 2002. In 2001 he founded “Festmusik Thomas Strauss”, an agency which specializes in music for weddings, jubilees, company events and mourning services.

This versatile artist also performs with Wolfgang Bauer, professor and principal trumpet player of the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart as a harpsichordist in the „Wolfgang Bauer Consort“ and holds recitals with solo singers as a pianist. Thomas Strauss has performed in numerous television and radio broadcasts throughout Europe and in the United States. As an organist, he has recorded CDs with the „hr–brass“, a group of instrumentalists from the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Frankfurt, a CD with the „datura–trombone– quartet“ and with The Bach Choir Ortenau as the conductor for The Christmas. He maintains a private teaching studio and keeps a busy schedule as a solo performer.

Thomas Strauß has played the organ and the harpsichord in concerts in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Sardinia, Switzerland as well as on Hawai’i and for the eleventh time in the contnental United States.