In addition to his role at Central Church, Tom Bara is Instructor of Organ and Assistant Director of Music at the Interlochen Arts Academy and Arts Camp, Interlochen, Michigan. Tom came to Central from Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York City, where he worked as Assistant Organist under Gerre Hancock. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, Tom trained at the University of Michigan and the Eastman School of Music and was Organ Scholar at Saint Thomas Church and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. At Eastman, Tom received the prestigious Performance Certificate and the first Harold Gleason Emerging Artist Award.

Tom won first prize in the Arthur Poister National Organ Competition and was a finalist in the National Young Artist Competition and Fort Wayne National Organ Competition. He has performed widely as soloist and as accompanist to The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, including concerts at the Royal Cathedral, Copenhagen; King’s College, Cambridge; Saint John’s Smith Square, London; and Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London. His debut CD Pageant: A Pipe Organ Spectacular was recently released on the Raven label.

Tom is married to Anne and has two children, Andrew and Katherine. Besides music, Tom enjoys cooking, carpentry, tennis and hiking.