OUR COMPOSERS
Tom Shellenberger
Tom Shellenberger was born, raised, and educated in central Pennsylvania. After graduating with a music ed. degree from Mansfield State College, he pursued graduate studies at Temple University, IUP, Penn State, Westfield College(Mass.), Villanova, Univ. of Louisville, and SUNY Potsdam. In addition, Tom has performed summer jazz at the Univ. of North Texas and Ithaca College.
In the course of his career Tom has directed numerous choral groups including high school and middle school choirs, and church and civic choral organizations. He has conducted choral and jazz festivals in New York and Pennsylvania. His credits include musical direction of more than sixty high school and community theatre musicals. His high school vocal jazz ensemble, Knight-music, pioneered in the concept of vocal jazz in north-central PA, and received statewide recognition for its excellence, having performed for the PMEA annual conference and many other important venues. Additionally, Tom has presented numerous jazz clinics for PMEA and served for several years as the choral reviewer for the PMEA News. In 1998 he was named a PMEA Citation of Excellence winner. Tom is former ACDA jazz chair for Pennsylvania.
In 1994 Tom co-founded VJQ, the Vocal Jazz Quartet, an adult group for which he arranges much of the music. VJQ has been recognized for their vocal excellence, their unique sound, and extensive jazz repertoire. Jazz artists with whom either Tom or his groups have performed include Peter Eldridge, Dennis DiBlasio, Chris Vadala, Jack Wilkins, Steve Rudolph, Michele Weir, Paris Rutherford, and many others.
A retired music educator, Tom taught general and choral music for 33+ years in the area in and around Williamsport, PA. He and his wife Judy(also a retired music educator)currently reside in Williamsport, where both daughters, Anna and Carol, (and their husbands) also teach music.