Thomas Pavlechko

“… a catalyst for a renewed interest in things musical…”

The Richmond Times Dispatch 

The Calvary Episcopal Church Choir of Memphis, Tennessee, under the direction of Mr. Thomas Pavlechko, sang the prelude to the afternoon service as light filtered in through the south rose window of Washington National Cathedral on April 10, 2005, a day honoring the state of Tennessee.

Photo ã 2007 Brian H. Powell

• Conducted Part the First of Handel’s Messiah as part of a weekend-long Baroque Festival, and an all-Bach benefit concert, both at St. Martin’s, Austin. 
  

• Appointed by the Mayor's office in 1997 to a 2-year seat on the Music Advisory Panel of the City of Austin Arts Council, annually responsible for disseminating over a million dollars of city tax revenue to arts organizations, from Tejano bands to the Austin Lyric Opera.

Conducted six performances of Handel’s Messiah at Calvary Church in Memphis, an 80-year tradition.  

• Artistic Director for Calvary & the Arts, a noon concert & lunch series for over 25 years.  Performers included Isaac Hayes, Kirk Whalum, Kallen Esperian, the Memphis Chamber Choir & Boychoir and others.

• Initiated and Conducted "Noon-Time Christmas Pops Concerts", a new tradition with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.  He invited guest artists from Memphis’ historic Beale Street to add their touch of Jazz, Blues, Gospel and World Music to Calvary’s music menu.

• Described in The Richmond Times Dispatch as a “…catalyst for a renewed interest in things musical…”, Pavlechko is the recipient of two mayoral commendations for his leadership in the arts in Petersburg, Virginia.  There, he served St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, a 365-year-old colonial parish, chaired the 350th Anniversary Committee, directed the re-enactment of General Robert E. Lee’s son’s wedding at St. Paul’s, founded the 70-voice Petersburg Festival Chorus, and revived the historic Petersburg Music Festival, previously dormant for one hundred years, serving as the non-profit corporation’s first president, and as the festival’s artistic director and principal conductor for four seasons.

• Concurrently, he taught on the adjunct faculty at William and Mary’s Richard Bland College, held a seat on the Petersburg Department of Tourism Advisory Board, and was a member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission, assembling and conducting a 500-voice massed choir before a congregation of over 5,000 for the Centennial Eucharist of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia.

• Guest-conducted a 150-voice city-wide choir for the first-ever hymn festival at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina.