Born in 1948 in Chester, Pennsylvania, Thom is a retired music educator, having taught in Christina District in New Castle County, Delaware for 25 years. His musical career started with his first solo in Trainer Methodist Church (Trainer, PA) at the age of five. He began studying voice with Sarah and Guthrie Frye at 15. He went on to study vocal music at the University of Delaware, where he worked with Ann Carvel, who cultivated his love of German Lieder, Joseph Huszti, who built his musicianship, and Robert Hogensson, who encouraged his attempts at composition. While working on his undergraduate degree at the University of Delaware, he became the Music Director of Brookhaven Baptist Church in Brookhaven, PA. After receiving his BAED in Music, he began his teaching career and continued his vocal studies with Dan and Nancy Pressley. He later became Tenor section Leader/Soloist at Grace Church United Methodist in Wilmington, Delaware. He is currently the Organist/Director of Music of Elsmere Presbyterian Church, near Wilmington. He resides in Newark, Delaware. Thom's own compositions reflect his strong vocal history. His songs are singers' songs. All voice parts, particularly inner parts, are given interesting musical lines. Thom has a love of language and his initial inspiration usually comes from the words. Carefully chosen, expressive words and musical lines that mirror the text are his goals. The majority of his work is sacred music and he credits God as the ultimate creator of his music.