Tom Swafford has been active as a violinist and composer in a wide variety of communities since his arrival in New York in 2007. In 2015, his 11-piece ensemble, String Power, released its self-titled debut album. He has presented concerts of his music at Roulette and the Stone. Swafford recorded and toured Europe with the group Kef, featuring bassist Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz and guitarist Aram Bajakian. His musical theater piece “Bad Actor” was performed at The Tank in 2017. He played on the song “Window,” by Guster. Swafford has a Ph.D. in composition from UC Berkeley. He started busking shortly after arriving in New York and has been an MTA MUSIC musician since 2009. Among the many experiences he’s enjoyed while busking was meeting his future wife while playing on a subway platform.