Join us for part 3 of a 3-part organ concert series at the Chapel of Bishop Gadsden, sponsored by The Charleston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. The 2024 Cappella Concerti will feature organist Paul Thomas from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, TN. The concert will take place at 3:00 pm on Sunday, April 7, 2024.
About: Paul Thomas serves as the Director of Music of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, TN. His previous appointments include the Cathedral Church of St. Luke & St. Paul in Charleston, SC, and the Episcopal Church at Yale. Paul earned the Master of Music degree in organ performance and Certificate in Church Music Studies from the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music, where he studied organ with Thomas Murray and organ improvisation with Jeffrey Brillhart. While at Yale, he received the Richard Paul DeLong prize for the student “whose work best exemplifies the dedication and the use of those special gifts required of practicing church musicians.” Other organ teachers have included Charles Tompkins of Furman University and Florence Jowers of Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Paul has given organ recitals at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Yale’s Woolsey Hall, the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta, Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, and Washington National Cathedral.
An active vocal soloist, accompanist, and continuo player, he has performed with the Westminster Choir, the Chattanooga Bach Choir, Chorus Angelorum Chattanooga, the Sewanee Schola, The King’s Counterpoint, the Taylor Festival Choir, and the Charleston Bach Ensemble. He received second prize in the Schoenstein Competition in the Art of Organ Accompaniment, and has accompanied choral residencies at Canterbury, Ely, and Wells Cathedrals.
Paul is a committed teacher of young musicians, training choirs for children and youth affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music. He teaches private music lessons and has adjudicated the Young Organist Competition of the Columbia, SC American Guild of Organists.
Aside from music, Paul enjoys playing golf, watching Liverpool FC, and spending time with his wife and children.