Les Thimmig was born March 19,1943 in Santa Maria, California. His childhood was spent in Joliet, Illinois, where the many opportunities and motivation of the greater Chicago area allowed him to develop his interests in classical performance (clarinet), jazz performance (saxophone), composition (classical and jazz), and conducting. During his collegiate education he was also active in the free-lance performing areas of New York City, Boston, and the connecting areas. After a year of teaching in Yale¿s theory department, he assumed the directorship of the composition/theory department of the University of Victoria (B.C.) After two years, he was brought to the University of Wisconsin to direct the composition program.
Several years later, he diversified, adding woodwind performance and jazz studies to his educational offerings. He remains active in all the above-mentioned areas. His compositions are recorded on the CRI, Spectrum, Nonesuch, and GM labels, and published by G. Schirmer, E.C. Schirmer, and Margun. Recent performances as soloist include those with Parnassus, New England Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, Jazz Members Big Band, {Boston Musica Viva} Orquesta Nacional de Venezuela, and the New York Philharmonic. His current projects include works for Trossingen Hochschule fur Musik (Germany), Berklee College of Music (Boston), The Zephyrus Duo (New York), and The Madison Boy Choir. He is a member of Headband, improvisational trio, and leader of the Les Thimmig 7, the repertoire of which is Thimmig compositions exclusively.