St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church has recently added two new staff members, The Rev. Dr. Tommy Watson, Jr. and Director of Music Ministries Irina Georgieva. Both joined the Wilton church on Aug. 1.
Church leaders have invited the community to meet Watson and Georgieva at St. Matthew’s Family BBQ this Saturday, Sept. 21.
Georgieva will lead the choir and oversee the Arts at St. Matthew’s program.
In addition to her work with St. Matthew’s, Georgieva is also an associate professor of conducting at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she has been teaching in the Department of Composition within the Professional Writing Division since 2014. She teaches beginning and advanced conducting classes and lessons, with a focus on choral and symphonic repertoire.
St. Matthew’s Rector, the Rev. Marissa Rohrbach, said Georgieva is a wonderful addition to the team.
“Irina’s gentle spirit and collaborative nature, paired with her tremendous gifts will serve to continue and enhance St. Matthew’s commitment to a vibrant and welcoming music program. I am so looking forward to all the ways we will grow because of her leadership and expertise,” Rohrbach said.
This year Georgieva is also beginning her first season as the music director of Cappella Cantorum MasterWorks Chorus, in the Lower Connecticut River Valley and Shoreline.
Previously, she has led numerous university choirs, orchestras and singing groups, including at Cornell University, the University of Rochester, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Rochester Institute of Technology and Sacred Heart University. She has also served as a Music Director and Organist at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain, MA and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Henrietta, NY.
Georgieva holds an undergraduate degree in Choral Conducting from the State Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria, a Master of Music in Conducting from Northwestern University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music.
She extended an invitation to the community. “If you love to sing, have ever considered joining a choir, or are looking for a meaningful way to connect with others, we would love for you to join St. Matthew’s Choir: a welcoming community that shares a passion for music, enjoys being together, and is dedicated to serving God through song. The choir’s diversity in age, vocal skills, and musical background, and their love for all vocal genres makes them a welcoming and warm community where singers feel safe and appreciated. We believe that music has the power to bring people together, to inspire, and to uplift, and we would be thrilled to have you join us in this ministry,” she said, adding that rehearsals are on Thursdays from 7:30-9 p.m. and no audition is required.
Rev. Watson will serve as Assistant to the Rector for Formation and Engagement, working with the church’s children and youth, enhancing programming for families and intergenerational opportunities, and reaching out into the community to build new relationships.
He is currently a transitional deacon and will be ordained as a priest in the first week of December.
A native of Leesville, SC, Watson’s bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees are all in vocal performance. Prior to his call to ordained ministry in 2019, he taught at the collegiate level for five years and was a tenured professor at the South Carolina School of the Arts. Upon graduating from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale in May of 2024 and being ordained a Deacon, he was called to serve at St. Matthew’s.
“I couldn’t be more delighted to welcome Tommy as a partner in ministry at St. Matt’s,” Rev. Rohrbach said. “He shares our deep commitment to welcome, to love of neighbor, to service, and to living out our faith. Tommy’s love of God and love of neighbor is contagious. He will help us to expand and enrich our programming for children and youth and help us find new ways to honor and serve the wider community that we love in Wilton and the surrounding towns.”
“I am excited about working, praying, and worshiping with St. Matthew’s, and I appreciate that I can continue discerning my call to ordained ministry within this loving, intergenerational community,” Watson said. “We are afforded the gift of cherishing our rich liturgical and musical heritage, while simultaneously seizing every opportunity to explore and reimagine how Almighty God may guide us into our bright future. In addition to assisting with the sacramental life of the parish, I am excited about sharing my love of God with children, youth, their families. I possess a penchant for Christian Formation and Education, and I love pondering and celebrating the wonderful mystery that is God, especially with such a warm and welcoming parish community.”
He listed the things he liked most about St. Matthew’s.
“I like that Jesus is the center of all we do. And, we are a child-focused parish; we unabashedly welcome them to service and to all other parts of our life together. We want every child to feel safe and welcome, just as they are. Too, the staff could not be more ideal; it is refreshing to work with a team of people who are committed to service. Lastly, I love to see the joy that washes over the eyes and faces of parishioners as they talk about what St. Matthew’s means to them,” Watson said.
Rohrback added that everyone is welcome at St. Matthew’s.
“We hope that you’ll come and join us this fall and spend some time getting to know them. St. Matthew’s is a community church where all people are welcome, where we forge meaningful connections, share life’s joys and challenges, and seek peace, refreshment, and connection for us and for our neighbors,” she said.
Rohrbach added that the community is welcome to email Georgieva and Watson, and to learn more about St. Matthew’s Church online.