Tom Mac – guitar and vocals

Singer/songwriter Tom Mac blends folk, rock, jazz, and classical influences. A former DuPage Opera Theatre member who has opened for the Beach Boys, he’s performed at Carnegie Hall and now leads the Tom Mac Group.

Singer/songwriter Tom Mac’s interpretation of noted rock, folk and jazz standards has attracted music lovers from all walks of life. A past member of the DuPage Opera Theatre and once having been the opening act for the Beach Boys, as a folk musician, Mac enlists jazz and classical artists to help him push past familiar compositions to reach new heights of creativity. Starting piano at the age of 9, Tom picked up the guitar when he was 13 years old. After surpassing his guitar teacher about a year later, he was sent to a music professor at Illinois State University to continue his lessons. In addition to his folk/rock playing, he hones his vocal cords by participating in classical music performances and has performed Vivaldi's Gloria at Carnegie Hall. He routinely sings classical music in Italian, German, Yiddish, Latin and Spanish with various choral groups including the Rockford Symphony Chorus. Tom released a solo debut CD of originals and standards entitled Upper Palette which includes noted musicians Paul Wertico (Pat Metheny Group), Larry Gray (Ramsey Lewis), Roscoe Beck (Leonard Cohen) and Stanley Jordan. Included on the album is Song for Jack, which received accolades from the International Acoustic Music Awards. He currently fronts the Tom Mac Group and is extremely excited with the lineup of some of the best musicians in the area.