Tom Pedas received his B.A. in Music Education from Edinboro (PA) State University and his M.A. in Choral Music from Teachers College, Columbia University. He serves on the board of directors of the American Choral Directors Association of New Jersey and has served on the board of directors for Central Jersey Music Educators Association and the Choral Procedures committee for New Jersey Music Educators Association.

Pedas was chosen as guest conductor for New Jersey's 2000 Junior High All State Honor Choir and guest conductor of Region II High School Chorus. He served as Manager of the ACDA All Eastern High School Honor Choir which performed in Boston under Paul Salamunovich, and as Manager of the New Jersey Elementary Honor Choir for the years 1993 through 2000. Pedas has conducted the Central Jersey Regional Chorus and numerous workshops for New Jersey Music Educators Association, American Choral Directors Association and the Richmond Choral Society.

For the years 1995 - 1999 he directed The Celebration Singers, a New Jersey based choral group whose performances included “Amahl and the Night Visitors”. Pedas is the founding director of the Celebration Children's Chorus, New Jersey's only tuition free choir school which is now in its sixth season.

In 1979 Tom Pedas founded Linden Summer Playhouse which he directed for seven years. He has directed musicals for the Scotch Plains Players, Mystic Vision Players, and Hillside Avenue School as well as serving as musical director for Cranford Repertory Company's productions of “Oliver”, “Anything Goes” and “Fiddler on the Roof”. Pedas was nominated as ‘Outstanding Musical Director of New Jersey’ by the Achievement in Community Theatre Awards for his direction of “West Side Story” for Mystic Vision Players.

Tom Pedas currently teaches music at Hillside Avenue School (Cranford) where for the last three years he has placed the highest number of students in the elementary and junior high All State Honor Choirs as well as having students chosen for All Eastern and National Honor Choirs.

Twenty-eight of Tom Pedas's vocal music students were selected through competitive auditions for 2000 New Jersey Elementary and Junior High Honor Choirs, an annual event sponsored by the New Jersey Music Educators Association and the American Choral Directors Association. Of the 240 New Jersey students selected for New Jersey's Elementary and Junior High Honor Choirs twenty-one of the students, the largest number of students chosen from any single school in the state, are enrolled in Mr. Pedas's vocal music classes at Hillside Avenue School in Cranford.

Mr. Pedas has taught award winning choirs at both Linden High School and Cranford High School where his students were consistently chosen for All State and National Honors Choirs receiving ‘superior ’ ratings at state festivals. From 1988 through 1993 the Cranford High School choral program, under the direction of Tom Pedas, averaged 13 students a year selected for the region choir and 8 to 9 students per year selected for the New Jersey All State Choir.

Under his direction the Cranford High School Madrigal Singers were selected to perform at the Garden State Arts Center, the National Music Conference in Philadelphia, Epcot Center in Florida, Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal and, as the first place winner out of 43 choirs, at the Williamsburg Music Festival, performing at William and Mary college for over 5000 band and choir members from throughout the Eastern United States.

Tom Pedas has performed with various choral groups at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and, as assistant director of the Metropolitan Greek Chorale, directed a concert for the president of Greece in Athens Greece. He has also acted in shows at Cranford Dramatic Club, the union County Arts Center, and Plays in the Park and has directed shows for the Scotch Plains Players, Mystic Vision Players and the Cranford Repertory Theatre.

In 1993 Pedas successfully ran the New York City Marathon.

Tom Pedas was born in western Pennsylvania to Greek immigrant parents. Tom rejected his parent's efforts to enroll him in the family grocery business electing to pursue music education as a career. In the early 70's Tom Pedas was instrumental in revolutionizing the cruise industry by introducing cultural and educational programs aboard cruise ships.