The Dr. Paul Lindsley Thomas Society was formed in 2023 by friends of Dr. Thomas who experienced his decades-long ministry at St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas, TX.  They want his legacy of profound music ministry to musicians (both professional and laypersons), children, and the entire worshipping congregation to be a foundation for future music ministers.  This group has committed to underwriting scholarships and experiences for musicians wanting to explore the nature of vocation and service in the context of excellent music-making.  Dr. Thomas was an early influence in developing CMI's work and focus.  Applicants to the PLT Society submit their credentials and respond in writing to a description of Dr. Thomas's life and work in "Aspiring to the Ideals of Paul Lindsley Thomas."  (Click here to read a description)

Christopher Lo
Director of Music
All Saints Episcopal Church
Stafford, TX 

My church music education began when I was admitted as a Treble Chorister in the choir of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Diocese of Sydney, in the Anglican Church of Australia.  I attended Middle and High School at Melbourne Grammar School, an Anglican School in the Diocese of Melbourne, Australia.  Here I sang tenor in the Chapel Choir and began organ lessons.  Upon earning an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, I taught middle and high school choirs and general music classes in two Anglican Schools in the Diocese of Gippsland and the Diocese of Brisbane.  At both schools, I was the Chapel Organist and directed music for school Chapel services.  In the mid-1990s, I attended Florida State University. There, I earned a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting and a second Master’s degree in Music Education.  My major instrument for these degrees was Organ.  Dr. Michael Corzine was my Organ Professor.

In 1999, I directed the World Vision Youth Ambassadors’ Choir on a five-country tour.  Members of this choir consisted of college-aged students from forty-eight different countries.  In their home countries, most members of this choir belonged to Pentecostal Churches.  After a six-week training period, they sang compositions in harmony by composers from the Great Western Art tradition. We embraced a multiplicity of languages including sacred texts in Latin.  In 2016, I completed the coursework requirement for a Doctor of Music Arts degree in Music Education and Choral Conducting from the University of Houston.  Upon returning to teaching Middle and High School choirs, the choirs under my direction were frequently awarded Division One and Sweepstake ratings in the UIL Concert and Sight-Reading contests.

While working as a teacher, I also continued to work, mainly in Episcopal Churches, as a church music director.  In 2003, I was one of the founding conductors of the Bay Area Choral Festival in Southeast Houston. This was an annual choral festival involving local church choirs.  In July 2008, I was one of the directors who took the combined youth choirs from St. Bernadette Catholic Church, Clear Lake United Methodist Church, Clear Lake Presbyterian Church and St. Christopher Episcopal Church on tour to Colorado.  In the Fall of 2008, I was the organizer for the “Thy Kingdom Come: Music in a Multicultural Church” conference.  This conference was hosted by the Multicultural Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.  In 2022, I assumed the position of Director of Music at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Stafford TX.  In this position, apart from directing the choir and playing the organ and piano, I also worked with the choir of Good Shepherd Indian Episcopal Church.  This congregation worships in the Malayalam language and shares a campus with All Saints’ Church.  Since 2010, under the direction of Canon Robert Simpson, I have sung with the Choir of Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral in Houston.  On February 26, 2023, I sang in the world premiere and the subsequent commercial recording of the “Mass of the Eternal Flames,” by Eriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977).  Between 2012 and 2014, I served as the chair of the music subcommittee of the Religion and the Arts Council.

Felicity Mazur-Park
Director of Music
Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church
Fort Worth, TX

Felicity Mazur-Park is an English composer, pianist, and organist based in Texas. She has a B. M. from The Boston Conservatory, a M.Ed. from Tennessee State University, and a M.M. from Texas Christian University where she is studying towards her D.M.A. in Music Composition with a cognate in organ performance and is an instructor of record for music theory. She also teaches music theory and organ at Dallas Baptist University and is the Director of Music at Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Fort Worth.

Her M.Ed. thesis, World Music in Nashville: A Choral Approach, won Tennessee State University’s graduate oral presentation award at its Spring 2017 Research Forum for the Arts, and her M.M. thesis is an hour-long opera based on Anton Chekhov’s play, The Seagull. She won the 12th Annual Sherry Clarkson Prize for Best Scholarly Paper at the RAW Conference at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2023 and the 2024 American Guild of Organists’ Student Commissioning Project along with organist David Preston.

She presented at Taylor Swift: The Conference Era at Indiana University in November 2023, the 2024 GAMuT Conference at the University of North Texas in February, performed at the Music by Women festival at Mississippi University for Women in March, and performed at the National Association of Composers USA (NACUSA) National Conference in May. Most recently, she presented her DMA Treatise, Empowerment Through Analysis: Preserving the Legacy of Women Composers Through Detailed Analysis, at the National College Music Society conference in Washington, DC in November 2024. Her DMA Composition Dissertation is an organ concerto based on the text of the Ordinary of the Mass and the music of pioneering women composers throughout history and will be performed during her last DMA Organ in March 2025. She will graduate with her DMA from Texas Christian University in May 2025.

Geoffrey Liu
Organist
Kent United Methodist Church
Kent, WA

Geoffrey Liu is a Seattle-based software engineer, music instructor, and organist. He completed his studies at the University of Washington in 2016, majoring in computer science and studying piano performance with Artist-in-Residence Dainius Vaicekonis. His musical involvement would continue after university in the California Bay Area, where he played piano, keyboard, violin, and viola for a number of different community ensembles and churches. Since 2023 he has been the organist at Kent United Methodist Church in Kent, WA, and teaches violin and viola at The Key to Change studio in Renton, WA. In addition, he has participated in organ masterclasses with notable instructors such as Paul Jacobs, Stephen Price, Kimberly Marshall, and Stefan Engels. Liu also maintains a growing YouTube channel of his performances at youtube.com/@gliu.

J. R. Young
Choirmaster
Heritage Presbyterian Church
Acworth, GA

J. R Young hailing from Kentucky, studied Conducting and Early Music from a young age. Pursuing advanced degrees in sacred music, and choral conducting, Jay promotes his passion for music by involving musicians of all ages, especially young people. His focus is the church music of the English Tudor period, and promoting music education at all age levels. Jay holds the Choirmaster certification from the American Guild of Organists. He continues to be involved in early music scholarship and performance, and writes new music regularly.

Joey Pearson
Organist
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Hurley, NY

My name is Joseph Pearson and I have been serving as church organist at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Hurley, NY for over 12 years and have also been serving as organist at All Saints Lutheran Church in Lagrangeville, NY for over 4 years.  My favorite composers are Chopin and Liszt.  I graduated from SUNY Ulster with an Associate's in Music and also from SUNY New Paltz with a Bachelor's in Piano Performance.  I am grateful and excited for this opportunity!

Zach Bowyer 
Director of Music and Organist 
South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church
Charlotte, NC

Zach Bowyer is a passionate sacred musician and ministry leader originally from Roanoke, VA. He currently serves as the Director of Music and Organist at South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC, where he leads vibrant music programs for over 150 musicians of all ages and contributes to the spiritual life of the community through congregational song. A 2018 graduate of the Mariam Cannon Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University, Zach holds two music performance degrees in organ performance and sacred music.

An active member of the broader music community, Zach is the current Dean of the Charlotte Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and serves as the Chair of the Communications Committee for the Presbyterian Association of Musicians. In his downtime, Zach enjoys exploring the outdoors with his beloved dog, Winston, and unwinding in his hammock. He also has a passion for photography, thrifting, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

John Landis
Music Director/Organist
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
Landisville, PA

John is the organist and music director at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Landisville, PA.  He has nearly 10 years of experience playing church services and concerts and substituting all around Lancaster county.  John has studied piano and organ with Dr. Ina Grapenthin of Kutztown University for over 20 years, and is a two-time recipient of the Lancaster AGO Lunt-McConnell Organ Scholarship.  John also plays the trumpet, and enjoys playing board games, hiking, camping, and disc golfing in his free time.

John is also a cell and molecular scientist in the biopharmaceutical testing industry, having graduated in 2022 from Millersville University with B.S. of Biology.  He is currently studying for his M.S. of Biotechnology at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and expects to graduate in 2026.

Alex Green
Choral Group Director
Brightview Senior Living and WellSpring Village
East Walpole, MA

Mr. Alex Green (MSM, CAGO, MT-BC) graduated summa cum laude (with highest honors) from Boston University where he earned his Masters in Sacred Music, with an emphasis in pipe organ performance. Prior to that, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy at Utah State University. He accompanies and directs choirs from the organ, piano and guitar and currently also serves as choral group director at Brightview Senior Living and at WellSpring Village in Canton. He also has an independent music therapy practice in Walpole. He performs regularly with the renowned Copley Singers based in the Boston area, founded by the late Brian Jones of Trinity Church. 

Alex began lessons at six years old with piano pedagogy pioneers, Reid Nibley and Richard Anderson and continued his keyboard studies with Bonnie Goodliffe (an organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Salt Lake City), Craig Williams (organist at West Point Academy, NY, site of the largest church organ in the world), and Peter Sykes, professor at Boston University and Juilliard.  He enjoys keeping up with the news, creating portraits of both people and pets, and making all his meals. And last but not least: dancing!