 He decided to increasingly offer 20th-century composers as a way of developing a broadened approach on the part of the audiences to diverse modern repertoire, plus a more responsive and capable facility from the orchestra.Patrick Thomas co-established a successful Modern Music Forum in Brisbane.Regularly conducting the Sydney Symphony Orchestra including on its international tours, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Thomas's glamorous concert engagements outside Queensland were in stark contrast to the harsh performance conditions which he and his 65-piece orchestra endured at home.