Paul was born and raised on a farm near Hudson, South Dakota. He started his adventure with music early in childhood, taking piano lessons at age seven. He has been a music lover all of his life. He studied at Pacific Lutheran University, receiving his degree in Piano Performance and Teaching. He had the opportunity to teach music in American DODDS schools for two years while living in Spain. Paul also sang for several years with the Tacoma Opera. He has had his own private music studio for over thirty-six years and was inducted into the “Music Hall of Fame” through Washington State Music Teachers Association in 2015.

Paul founded this organization, then titled Orchestral Recital Series of Tacoma in 1992, as he had a desire to see students of any age have the opportunity to perform with professional musicians.

For over twenty years, Paul Twedt organized all the organization’s festivals. He wanted music students, particularly piano students, to learn the ensemble skills needed for making music, especially with string players, at a professional level. As younger students enjoy the costumes and fun of Halloween, fall has proven to be an ideal time to introduce them to chamber music with teacher-arranged string parts for favorite Halloween-themed piano solos. As students grow musically, they then become ready for the trio repertoire from the likes of Haydn, Schubert, and Turina.

Paul is very grateful to the many fellow teachers who continue to enrich their students with this opportunity, to families and community members who volunteer in so many ways, to Brad & Janet for their top notch coaching, and to the students themselves, who make Tacoma Music Collaborative a priority: We are all here because we love to hear you play.