A local musician has once again helped Olympic athletes on one of the world’s biggest stages, or in this instance an ice rink.
Jennifer Thomas, a composer, musician and filmmaker based in Sequim, heard her song “Rise of the Phoenix” performed during a routine on Feb. 6 at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Team Japan’s Masaya Morita and Utana Yoshida used her song for their Ice Dance – Rhythm Dance routine as part of the team figure skating competition.
The United State of America won gold for top overall score in four events, including the top performance in Ice Dance (Evan Bates, Madison Chock).
Morita and Yoshida placed eighth in their event on Feb. 6 and didn’t advance to the Feb. 7 finals, but their score helped Japan win a silver medal.
“Their whole routine was stunning,” Thomas said. “I’m honored (they used it).”
As of press deadline, the replay of Morita and Yoshida’s performance is unavailable on Peacock and official online clips.
Thomas had been following the skating pair all season leading up to the Olympics and a fan alerted her about when they’d compete.
The song comes from her 2018 album “The Fire Within,” and its use feels like a “full circle” moment for her, she said.
In an online post, Thomas wrote that while writing the album, she had composed it with figure skating in mind, including the songs’ compositional structure and pacing.
“I had hoped that one day someone would use it in their routine,” she wrote.
At that time, Thomas said that her music was rising in popularity across the globe and in Japan, particularly due to skater Rika Kihria skating to Thomas’ song “A Beautiful Storm” from the album “Key of Sea.”
Other skaters and gymnasts have used her music with Milano Cortina being her music’s third Olympic appearance.
U.S. competitor Karen Chen skated to her music at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and two gymnasts performed their floor routines to her music at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to COVID-19).
Thomas said she loves that the Olympics bring the world together and that it’s “all about unity, harmony and supporting one another.”
She doesn’t have a preference who uses her music though.
“I’m always so happy to see my music being used in this artistic display of brilliance,” Thomas said.
“I’m so honored to be a small part of an event that brings so many people together.”
Photo courtesy Jennifer Thomas/ This is the third Olympic games that Jennifer Thomas’ music has appeared in and the first time her name and music has received onscreen credit.
Music at the Olympics have come under the spotlight for a few skaters, including gold medal winning U.S. skater Amber Glenn and Spanish skater Thomas Llorenc Guarino, who had to work out copyright issues for their free skate programs.
Thomas said she worked with the company Click and Clear last year to help pre-clear music for athletes.
“It makes it easier for me and them,” she said.
With this being her third Olympics, Thomas said this is the first time she’s received onscreen credit during a performance too.
“This year I was really excited to see my name on the screen,” she said. “Now people will actually know my name and the song that goes with the routine.”
This week, Thomas plans to post an educational video on her YouTube channel youtube.com/@jenniferthomas about how music streaming revenue works for performing artists.
To her knowledge, the Japanese pair is the only team to use one of her songs this Olympics.
Thomas even got to connect with the Japanese skaters via Instagram with one of them telling her they hope to meet her someday.
For “Rise of the Phoenix,” Thomas gives a shout out to collaborator, co-producer and orchestrator Glen Gabriel.
A look ahead
Thomas’ album “Game of Shadows” inspired by spy and crime thrillers is set to be released in June.
She’s continuing to work on new videos for her music, too.
This summer, she’s planning to do a summer outdoor concert at Nelson’s Duckpond and Lavender Farm in Sequim where she has filmed for a video (“Etude for the Dreamer”).
Thomas’ music is on music streaming platforms, and available for purchase at Amazon, iTunes, and jenniferthomasmusic.com.
Find her vlogs at youtube.com/@jenniferthomas.
The Winter Olympics go through Feb. 22 and air on NBC and Peacock.
