We are excited to welcome Dr. Richard Thomas & Andrew Sheffield, two accomplished musicians performing selections from Beethoven and Mendelssohn.

Dr. Richard Thomas, current faculty member at Lander University and North Greenville University, has held teaching and leadership positions at institutions across the U.S. and Latin America, including Presbyterian College, UNC Wilmington, and national conservatories in Colombia and the Dominican Republic. A former member of major orchestras such as the Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia and the South Carolina Philharmonic, he has conducted regional youth orchestras and taught internationally. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of South Carolina and was named the Clinton Chronicle “Teacher of the Year” for 2024–2025.

Andrew Sheffield holds music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and has performed widely as a soloist and collaborator, including with the Macon Symphony Orchestra and at events like ClarinetFest and Round Top. Formerly a college instructor and music academy director, he now works as an editor with the Institute for Intergovernmental Research while remaining active as a pianist, teacher, and church music director.

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