Music Staff

Paul Thornock, Director of Music

Paul Thornock is Director of Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, Georgia, where he conducts the semi-professional Cathedral Choir, the fully professional Choral Scholars, and acts as Artistic Director for the Friends of Cathedral Music concert series. In 2022, he was appointed Chorus Master for the Savannah Philharmonic.

For sixteen years, Thornock was Cathedral Director of Music and Diocesan Music Consultant for Saint Joseph Cathedral in the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, Ohio. He released two choral CD recordings from the Cathedral and was responsible for commissioning the Cathedral’s Paul Fritts and Co. organ. In addition to his cathedral responsibilities, he served on the faculty at Capital University Conservatory of Music and Trinity Lutheran Seminary teaching organ literature. More recently, Dr. Thornock was Director of Music at St. James Cathedral in Seattle and taught organ at the University of Puget Sound.

Dr. Thornock has performed for regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians, the national convention of the Organ Historical Society, the American Institute of OrganBuilders, and has been heard as both an organist and conductor on the nationally syndicated radio programs Pipedreams and With Heart and Voice and was a first-place winner in the Strader Organ Playing Competition. In 2012, Thornock was awarded a grant from the Tangeman Sacred Music Center to record four organs by Paul Fritts and Co., chronicling the firm’s evolution over four decades.

He earned the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Puget Sound where he studied organ with Edward Hansen and conducting with Paul Schultz. He earned the Master of Music in Organ Performance and Literature degree from the University of Notre Dame as a student of Craig Cramer. While at Notre Dame, he was graduate assistant organist at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart under Gail Walton. Thornock earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a student of Roberta Gary.

Dr. Thornock is also active as an organ consultant. He has been responsible for more than thirty projects, including restorations, “transplants,” and the commissioning of new organs. Recent projects include two organs by Paul Fritts & Co. for Hillsdale College in Michigan, three instruments by Juget-Sinclair for the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, Virginia, and the restoration and renovation of the Noack organ at the Savannah Cathedral.

Greg Shell

Greg Shell, music administrator, has been serving the Cathedral Choir and Friends of Cathedral Music in a multitude of duties since moving to Savannah in 2021. Greg maintains the Cathedral Basilica’s large Music Library, assists the Friends of Cathedral Music for concert set up, keeps the choir happy with multiple choir fellowship opportunities throughout the season, and in general keeps us organized! We are very thankful for Greg!

Tina Zenker Williams

Tina Zenker Williams is the director of the Cathedral Girls Choir. She began her vocal training as a chorister in the RSCM (Royal School of Church Music) English Choral tradition at the Cathedral Church of Saint Luke in Orlando, Florida.

After earning a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance at the University of South Florida, she began her singing career. Highlights include the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (Villa-Lobos) Messiah (Handel), and Mass No. 2 in G (Schubert) with the Florida Orchestra, Requiem (Mozart), Creation (Haydn), and Christmas concerts with the Savannah Philharmonic, and solo recitals designed for the Savannah Music Festival. Equally comfortable with early music ensembles, she has performed with Catawba River Baroque, Savannah Philharmonic Chamber Series, and is a founding member of Savannah Baroque.

As a professional chorister, Tina has sung with the Taylor Festival Choir in Charleston, and recorded two CDs.

As an educator, Tina has been a voice teacher of singers for 25 years, ranging in ages middle school through adults. Many of her students have gone on to careers in music education, music therapy, and performance.

Tina did graduate work at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, and earned a Master of Music from Georgia Southern University.

Jillian Durant

Jillian Durant, soprano, serves as Administrator for Friends of Cathedral Music, where she manages operations for the concert series and performs as a featured soloist. A staple of Savannah’s vocal music scene, Jillian actively sings for major liturgies at The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist and is widely recognized for her radiant tone and dynamic artistry.

Since 2012, she has performed in numerous masterworks and recitals, appearing with prominent regional ensembles including the Savannah Philharmonic, Moon River Opera, Savannah Arts Academy, and the Savannah Music Festival, as well as competing in the American Traditions Vocal Competition.

Jillian earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in vocal performance from Georgia Southern University, holding key leadership roles with Georgia Southern Opera and the award-winning Southern Chorale. Professionally, she also serves as the Communications Manager for First Presbyterian Church, though she considers her most rewarding and important job of all to be a wife and mother.

Kristi Bryson

Kristi Bryson is Director of the Cathedral Boys Choir at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. A conductor, teacher, and critically acclaimed soprano, she has performed internationally in concert and opera with leading ensembles including Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Vokalkapelle der Theatinerkirche, Les Violons du Roy, I Fagiolini, and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

As an instructor, conductor, and guest clinician, Kristi has worked with academic institutions, churches, and arts organizations throughout Europe and North America. She is Visiting Faculty at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, where she teaches vocal technique. She has also trained many young singers, including her sons, who sang and toured with the renowned Tölzer Knabenchor of Munich, Germany.

Kristi holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the Royal College of Music in London and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of King’s College, where she studied conducting with Grammy Award–winning conductor and composer Paul Halley.

Jessica French

JESSICA FRENCH is a Seattle-based composer whose works have been commissioned and performed across the U.S.
and abroad by ensembles including the BBC Singers, the Choir of Trinity Church Wall Street, Downtown Voices, and the
Savannah Philharmonic, among others. She is the recipient of multiple awards including the 2023 American Prize and
the AGO/ECS Publishing Award in Choral Composition, and her works are included in the catalogs of Oxford University
Press, ECS Publishing, and are primarily released through her own publishing company, The French Press. A native of Salt
Lake City, Utah, French received her training at the Madeleine Choir School and holds degrees in Organ Performance from
Indiana University and Yale University.

Nancy Thornock

NANCY THORNOCK, soprano, received her formal musical training at Pacific Lutheran University, where she studied
under Mira Frohnmayer and performed with the acclaimed Choir of the West led by Richard Sparks. Her other
professional singing responsibilities have included roles as soprano soloist at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Olympia, WA,
and as soprano section leader and cantor at St. Joseph Cathedral in Columbus, OH. Nancy’s performance credits include
appearances with the Columbus Bach Ensemble, Lancaster Chorale, Columbus ProMusica, and the Lancaster Festival
Chorus. Additionally, Nancy is a co-founding member of the children’s choral program at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John
the Baptist and directed the program until 2025. Outside of her musical pursuits, Nancy brings creativity and strategic
insight to her role as Marketing Director for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group, providing all
digital and print marketing for 145+ agents in 6 offices between Savannah and Beaufort, SC

Braelyn Snow

BRAELYN SNOW, mezzo-soprano, has been singing at the Cathedral since 2016 and with the Cathedral Choral Scholars
since 2020. She performed and competed in choirs and instrumental ensembles throughout high school and her
undergraduate studies at Indiana Wesleyan University. When not making music, Braelyn is a visual artist and
photographer. She earned her MFA at SCAD and works in communications for the Diocese of Savannah

Zachary Boor

ZACHARY BOOR, countertenor, earned his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Valparaiso University in 2016,
studying voice with Dr. Christopher Cock. During his undergraduate career, Zachary was twice named the winner of the
Valparaiso University Concerto Competition, honored as a finalist in the Audrey Rooney Vocal Competition with the
Kentucky Bach Choir, and as a semi-finalist in the Classical Singer University Level Vocal Competition. Prior to
relocating to Savannah, Georgia, Zachary resided in Columbus, Ohio, where he collaborated most recently with the Schola
at St. Joseph Cathedral.

Nick Pierle

NICK PIERLE A native of Waxhaw, North Carolina, Nicholas Pierle, DMA, is a conductor, tenor, and educator whose work spans secondary, collegiate, church, and community music settings throughout the United States and abroad. He currently serves as Director of Choral Activities at Savannah Arts Academy, where he leads one of Georgia’s premier high school choral programs. He recently completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. During his doctoral studies, he served as Director of Music Ministries at Grace Lutheran Church in Champaign, Illinois. Previously, he was Adjunct Professor of Music at Queens University of Charlotte, teaching undergraduate conducting and assisting with the internationally award-winning Royal Voices of Charlotte, and taught middle school choir and general music in the Fort Mill School District.
As a conductor, Pierle has led ensembles in performances of major choral-orchestral and contemporary works, including Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Jonathan Dove’s The Passing of the Year, Margaret Bonds’s Credo, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands, Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, and Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria. He also prepared the University of Illinois Men’s Glee Club for its performance at the 2023 Illinois ACDA State
Conference and has collaborated with conductors including André Thomas, Ann Howard Jones, Hilary Apfelstadt, and Kathy Romey.
Committed to music education at every level, Pierle has taught students from kindergarten through graduate school. His students have performed at venues including Belk Theater, Universal Studios, and the Biltmore Estate, while many have earned recognition through National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions and acceptance into collegiate music programs. His research explores the intersection of choral pedagogy, voice science, singer agency, and choral literature. His award-winning dissertation, Anatomy, Agency, and Artistry: A Qualitative Case Study of Estill Voice Training® in a High School Choir, investigated how Estill Voice Training® can support healthy, efficient, and stylistically flexible singing while fostering student agency in the choral rehearsal. The project received a Special Recognition Award in the University of Illinois Graduate College’s Research Live! competition. His presentation, “(Ch)Oral Twang: Applying Estill Voice Model Strategies to the Choral Rehearsal,” was presented at the 2026 Symposium for Research in Choral Singing and selected for presentation at the 13th Estill World Voice Symposium in Hong Kong in 2027. His scholarship has also been featured at the National and Southern Region ACDA Conferences and the North Carolina ACDA Sunday Seminar Series. As a singer, Pierle has appeared throughout the United States and Europe, including performances at Carnegie Hall and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. His operatic and musical theatre credits include H.M.S. Pinafore, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, and Iolanthe, while his tenor solo appearances include works by Bach, Bernstein, Handel, Michael Haydn, Rossini, and Ted Hearne. Pierle earned the DMA in Choral Music from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Master of Music degrees in Choral Conducting, Vocal Performance, and Vocal Pedagogy from East Carolina University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music: Vocal Performance from High Point University. He holds Estill Figure Proficiency certification through Estill Voice International. For more information or to stay in contact, please visit https://nicholaspierlemusic.com/

Jodi Lea

JODI LEA, bass, is a section leader at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. After his early musical pursuits in
Danville, Virginia, culminated in becoming a first chair All-State tenor saxophonist, Jodi attended Furman University,
receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Music. While at Furman, he was a member of many different groups, including the
University Singers and Chamber Choir, Jazz Ensemble, Barbershop Quartet, Woodwind Quartet, and many others. More
recently, Jodi has regularly performed as a member of Servire and Chicora Voices, as well as with other professional
instrumental ensembles and choral groups in Savannah and the southeast. Jodi is currently working towards a career in the
medical field and enjoys playing tennis, cooking, and spending time with his dog Billy.

Vikram Perry

VIKRAM PERRY, baritone, is a choral scholar at the Cathedral and received a BA in Music and History from Oberlin
College in 2022. He has sung in early music ensembles for the past 8 years and served as a choral scholar at Christ Church
in Oberlin, Ohio. Vikram is a multi-instrumentalist and an avid lover of many kinds of music. He is the Musical Director
for Front Porch Improv in Savannah with whom he has performed internationally. He loves musical theater and serves as
Music Director for Sun City Theatre. You may see him around Savannah, spending his free time as a local bluegrass
musician and as student of North Indian Classical Music on the sitar.

Josh Vavases

JOSH VAVASES, tenor, is originally from Cartersville, Georgia and has been an active music teacher and performer in
Savannah for the past 2 years. A 2023 Master of Music graduate in Voice Performance from Boston Conservatory at
Berklee, Mr. Vavases has performed with several organizations in the New England Area as a soloist, including the Boston
Conservatory Opera, Cambridge Chamber Ensemble, and the Dedham Choral Society. Recent credits include singing as a
section leader with the Metropolitan Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Lisa Graham, where he premiered
“Yosemite: Impressions of LIght and Shadow,” by Ēriks Ešenvalds, a commissioned work for the Metropolitan Chorale, as
well as collaborated with Ben Parry, the Director of the London Voices and former member of The Swingles, as the
beatboxer for the third movement of “Until it’s Gone: Music for Our Planet,” originally commissioned for the National
Youth Choir of Great Britain and The Swingles. Other credits include singing as a Nexus Choral Artist for the Connecticut
Choral Society’s production of Claudio Monteverdi’s “Vespers 1610.” Mr. Vavases also maintains an active voice and
percussion studio in Savannah.