Born in Vienna, Thomas Pinschof studied flute with Camillo Wanausek at the Vienna Conservatorium, Aurèle Nicolet, Karl-Heinz Zöller, Severino Gazzelloni, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Australia Council sponsored study with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, the world renowned expert on historical performance styles.

Thomas left the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in order to work with ENSEMBLE I, a chamber music group which he founded in 1971. Awards won at several International competitions included the Concorso Severino Gazzelloni and  the Alban Berg Foundation. He later studied chamber music with Janos Starker and Menahem Pressler of the Beaux Arts Trio at Indiana University in the United States.

In 1976 he was invited with ENSEMBLE I by the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne to be Artists in Residence. 

Thomas now lives and works in Australia and continues to travel extensively giving masterclasses and solo performances in most parts of the world. Renowned for his exciting teaching methods, he has taught at the Vienna Conservatorium, the Canberra School of Music, the Faculty of Music at the University of Melbourne and at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Since music has always fascinated him, Thomas has also written articles for  THE FLAUTIST and THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC TEACHER in Australia,  FLUTE NOTES in London, TRAVERSIERES in Paris and TIBIA in Germany. His publications also include editions of music, compositions and transcriptions for flute ensemble, orchestra and chamber music in various combinations for publishers Doblinger, Universal Edition, Zimmerman and Zen-On, as well as his own series PINSCHOFON.   Recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, Adel-Cord, Philips and many major TV and radio stations in all parts of the world, as well as invitations to festivals, have brought him international acclaim.

Pinschof's special concern lies in broadening and improving the traditional and tonal limitations of the flute. In the course of his research he developed the Pinschofon, a special bass flute named after him