Thomas John Pavlechko

PAVLECHKO, Thomas John. b. Youngstown, Ohio, 7 March 1962. Raised in a family of Slovak organists and Ukrainian singers and dancers, Pavlechko began his career on 1 January  1978.   At the age of 15, encouraged by hearing eight other organists in his family, Pavlechko followed his ancestral musical heritage – which is now over 150 years of combined service – and became a church organist.   He served at St John Lutheran, his home church in Youngstown, where the services that he played for were all in Slovak, including the hymns. He began his organ study at Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University.  Less than a block away from the YSU campus, he experienced his first organ lessons...