Tommy Watson

 

Tommy L. Watson, Jr., a native of South Carolina, is pursuing his second career and calling by studying at Yale Divinity School. He is pursuing the Master of Divinity degree, will graduate with the Mdiv in May 2024 and, as a candidate for ordination to the Transitional Diaconate in the Episcopal Church, he will be ordained in June 2024: God willing and the church consenting.

 

Tommy has earned the Bachelor of Arts in Music, Master of Music, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, all in vocal performance. He earned a post-doctoral certificate in Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Vocal Pedagogy as well. Dr. Watson’s first career as an educator and teacher lasted 25 years. He was a tenured associate professor at the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University.

 

There he taught graduate and undergraduate classes such as: Opera Workshop (which he founded and directed); Applied Voice Lessons, in both classical and CCM styles to both men  nd women; Vocal Pedagogy; Class Voice; Diction for Singers; Aesthetics; Western and, World  Music History; he was a vocal coach for the Musical Theatre program too. His applied voice students frequently won first place in state, regional, and national competitions; several are  now performing professionally on the national arena, one internationally.

 

In addition to classroom and studio teaching, Tommy Watson also sang professionally as a baritone/bass soloist in operas, oratorios, Masses, Cantatas, recitals, and debuted with all of  the major orchestras in the region, and was in concert at the Spoleto Festival, USA; he was a minister of music, concurrently.