Thomas Pavlechko - Organist & Director of Music

Thomas Pavlechko began as organist and music director at Heavenly Rest in August of 2023. Born into an Ohio family of organists, he became the organist at his home church, St. John’s Lutheran, for the worship services spoken and sung in Slovak on Sunday, January 1, 1978, at the age of 15. He earned his music degrees from the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. His most recent church music positions have been at Calvary Episcopal, Memphis, St. Martin’s Lutheran, Austin, and Christ the King Catholic, Dallas. As an educator, he has taught on the adjunct faculties of the Richard Bland College of William and Mary in Virginia, and the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest, Austin. He is a composer of hymns, service music, Psalm settings, choral anthems and motets, as well as brass, concert band and orchestral arrangements. He served on editorial and advisory teams for the Lutheran hymnal, and is the co-writer of the liturgical music planning books with Church Publishing (Episcopal), New York, now in their second edition.