Thomas Avinger


Thomas Avinger was an American composer, conductor and systems analyst for the oil industry.

Biography

Born in Weslaco, Texas, he taught himself to play the piano at the age of 19. He attended Edinburg Junior College. He then graduated from Baylor University in 1952 with a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master of Music degree in 1957. Between his college degrees, he was stationed with the United States Army at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he was the Musical Director of the Soldiers' Section of Special Services.
After completing his graduate work, he began working for the Humble Oil and Refining Company. He spent the next forty years there as a systems analyst. He was married to JoAnn Avinger for 45 years, and they had two sons, Erich and Peter.

Music

Avinger was comfortable with his career in technology while also composing music when possible, saying "I think I have the best of both worlds. I have the satisfaction of a corporate career that I enjoy and the pleasure of composing music and hearing it performed. One doesn't have to choose between the arts and business today."
Like the better-known Charles Ives, he was not a full-time musician or composer, yet he completed at least 50 musical works, including a one-act opera, a ballet suite, orchestral works with chorus, and various smaller works for chorus, piano, chamber ensembles, and art songs. His musical style has been compared to Shostakovich's for its "lofty, inspiring melodies and startling romantic passages".
During his lifetime, his works were performed at Baylor University, Eastern Illinois University the Moores School of Music, by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for a Composers Conference moderated by Darius Milhaud, and many churches and smaller venues in Texas.
As a performing musician, Avinger conducted and sang in numerous choirs, as was the assistant conductor of the Houston Symphony Chorale.

Compositions

Stage works
Instrumental and keyboard
Large choral works
Solo voice
  1. Miner Boy
  2. Young Men Will Go Courtin'
  3. Custer's Last Stand
  4. Green Grow the Lilacs
  1. The man in the closed ward
  2. Mind metamorphosing color and light
  3. Blind body closing in fright
  4. The petals relax spasmodically
  5. And the pretty heart of the flower is burned up
  1. To Lucasta
  2. To Lucasta
  3. The Scrutinie
  4. Gratiana
  5. To Althea
  6. Sonnet

    Footnotes