Thomas Hutchinson was born in Toms River, New Jersey, beginning trombone studies with his father at age seven. While in high school, he was a student of Metropolitan Opera trombonists David Langlitz and Steve Norrell, and in college continued his studies with New York City Ballet trombonist John Swallow, Joseph Alessi and (with current NYU Steinhardt faculty member) Per Brevig.
In 1991, Professor Hutchinson he was appointed professor of trombone at L'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy, where he taught for one school year before returning to New York to embark on what has become a very diverse free-lance, solo, chamber music, and orchestral career. Appointed Principal Trombone of the New York City Opera Orchestra in 2002, he continues to perform regularly with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Ensemble Sospeso, and many other Lincoln Center- and New York-based ensembles. He is a former member of the Cardinal Brass and Saturday Brass quintets, with whom he performed many world, American, and New York premieres, and as soloist has performed and recorded the world premiere of Wendy Chambers's Mass for Mass Trombones, a piece for seventy-six trombones and soloist. In 2001 he performed the American premiere of Finnish composer Kalevi Aho's Symphony No. 9 for trombone and orchestra with the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado, where he has held the position of Principal Trombone since 1996.
Professor Hutchinson has performed extensively around the world, from South America as solo trombone with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, to Japan and Europe with the Metropolitan Opera on tenor and alto trombones, bass trumpet on Die Walkure. In 1990 he performed on live radio, broadcast throughout six countries in Europe and Scandinavia as soloist with the Juilliard Brass Ensemble in Bergen, Norway. He can also be heard on many recordings, from a critically acclaimed Hovaness album with the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, featuring Chris Gekker, to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra recording of Milhaud's Creation du Monde with Branford Marsalis, to Gunther Schuller's recording of Brahms's Symphony No. 1, as well as many television commercial jingles, movie and NFL Films soundtracks.