Conductor

Thomas A. Connely earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in music education from the University of Illinois, Urbana, where he majored in trumpet and minored in strings. He taught orchestra and band classes to students from fourth grade through high school in the Moline, Illinois, public schools, and he was an adjunct professor of music at Black Hawk College, where he taught applied trumpet, jazz, classical guitar and Renaissance performance. He was a conducting tutor at the University of Illinois and a trumpet clinician at the university’s summer music camps.

An adjunct professor of music at Tarrant County College Southeast Campus, Tom is principal trumpet and assistant conductor for the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving and section trumpet for the Richardson Symphony Orchestra. As a performer, he has worked with entertainers including Bobby Vinton, the Osmonds, George Kirby, Della Reese, Art Linkletter, Mahalia Jackson, Peggy Lee, Florence Henderson, the Red Skelton Band and the Les Elgart Band, and he has performed at venues including the Tanglewood Music Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, and Ely Cathedral (Cambridgeshire, England).

Tom has been music director and conductor for various summer stock theater productions, and he has composed and arranged for the Miss Illinois Pageant, Tarrant County College, the Flutissimo! flute ensemble, and the Northeast Orchestra.

A real estate investor, Tom has for more than 20 years conducted seminars in motivation, communication, time management and personal finance to audiences nationwide.