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Vocalist Tom Orf’s rich,
soulful baritone and heartfelt interpretation of songs
covering a full range of styles and genres have brought
critical acclaim from a variety of sources worldwide.
Growing up across the street from the motherhouse of the Sisters of
the Most Precious Blood in O'Fallon, Missouri, Tom developed a deep fascination for
Gregorian chant. Spending countless hours listening to the angelic voices of
the nuns, he learned to read the ancient four-stave
liturgical notation
even before learning to read modern musical notation.
Starting as a soloist in the boys' choir at Church of
the Assumption, he eventually sang with the Cathedral
Singers and recorded numerous demos and CDs for World
Library Publications and GIA Publications.
Graduating
magna-cum-laude from Drake University with
degrees in Music and French, Tom gave numerous solo song
recitals sponsored by organizations such as the Chicago
Architecture Foundation and the Alliance Française. A
sought-after soloist in the Chicago area from 1979 thru
2007, he appeared with the Chicago Opera Theatre,
Lincoln Opera, Rockefeller Chapel Choir, American Ritual
Theatre Company, Bailiwick Repertory, and American
Medieval Players. His many stage roles have included The
Gentleman in Incorruptible and Mr. Widdoes in Blackheart, both at the Bailiwick; Charles Owsly in
Peyote Roadkill for American Ritual Theatre
Company at the Organic; Antichrist in Apocalypse
Then: the Play of Antichrist for American Medieval
Players; and operatic roles such as Giorgio Germont in
La Traviata, Marcello in La Bohème, Silvio
in I Pagliacci and Sharpless in Madama
Butterfly.
In December of 1997, Tom was a
featured soloist in the gala grand opening of the Tivoli
Gardens in Kurashiki Japan, a replica of the
world-famous Tivoli Gardens park in Copenhagen, Denmark. From 1993 to 2003,
he performed and toured with
Celtic
trio Kiltartan Road in more than 200 performances of In the Deep Heart’s Core,
a mystic musical biography based on the works of W. B.
Yeats. In 2002, he was a charter member of the Evanston
Escola de Samba, where he worked with Brazilian guitarist Luciano
Antonio, vocalists Marcos Oliveira and Dill Costa,
and others featured on his album Twilight Time.
Tom’s voice has been heard on
Live from WFMT and
on National Public Radio’s WBEZ in Chicago. In his spare
time, he works as a information specialist for
Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers.
Hear Tom's new album
Twilight Time.... |
