HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Dozens of former music teachers at one of Houston’s largest music schools said they are owed thousands of dollars in back wages, and worry they’ll never get any of the money after the school suddenly closed its doors on Thursday.
Until Thursday afternoon, Vivaldi Music Academy had three locations in Houston and one in San Antonio. The school began calling parents to say it was closing its doors immediately. Since then, a number of teachers have reached out to ABC13 about the wages they said they are owed.
Prior to its sudden closure, rumors had swirled for months that some teachers were getting paid late or not at all. After the school closed its Bellaire and Memorial branches earlier this year, more concerns bubbled up.
Rice University senior Sam Rachleff was cautiously optimistic when he took a job at Vivaldi a few months ago. He had heard about teachers being paid late, but as a college student majoring in music, he needed the money.
“(I’m owed) probably over $3,000, and there are plenty of other teachers who are owed a lot more than I am,” Rachleff said. “Some over $5,000, $7,000, $8,000.”
And he’s not alone. Fellow former teacher Mohammed Numan estimates there are 50 to 75 teachers across Texas who are owed back wages. Some have formed a chat group to discuss their options. ABC13 spoke to a local teacher who said she believes she is owed approximately $30,000 in back wages.
“I know people who have gotten evicted. I know people who have had their cars repossessed over Vivaldi not paying them,” Numan said.
Why did so many teachers stay? Both Numan and Rachleff say the reasons are complicated. First, everyone is teaching because they love music and they love sharing with students. Numan says other teachers are afraid of speaking out, including teachers from Europe who may be here on work visas.
One common thread among all the teachers who have spoken with ABC13 is that they say they’re furious at Vivaldi’s charismatic founder, Zeljko Pavlovic. For 12 years, Pavlovic built his business on a refugee-to-riches story that seemed the perfect fit for Houston, from Bosnia to the Bayou City. The method worked. Pavlovic appeared in many local media interviews. He began moving in social circles of the well-heeled in Houston. His comfortable lifestyle was also aspirational for many struggling music teachers, they told ABC 13.
But publicly available court records obtained by ABC13 show a different side. Pavlovic has been sued multiple times in civil court, both for fraud and for not paying back loans. The most recent suit was filed in July. The suit alleges that Pavlovic has not paid back a $2.6 million promissory note. The attorney for the man who loaned Pavlovic the money told ABC13 that his firm has never communicated with an attorney representing Pavlovic, and they are working through a potential default judgment.
Pavlovic did not want to speak to ABC13 on camera or over the phone. On Friday evening, he issued an official statement saying the following:
For more than twelve years, Vivaldi Music Academy has been a cornerstone of Houston’s arts community partnering talented educators, welcoming thousands of families, and giving countless students the opportunity to grow, perform, and find their voice through music.
As Vivaldi completes its transition, our team is finalizing all remaining administrative matters, including the review and resolution of outstanding contractor payments. Every educator who contributed to this community will be treated with fairness, accuracy, and respect the same principles that have guided us since day one.
The time has come to close this chapter and begin the next. What remains constant is our gratitude to every teacher, parent, and student who helped make Vivaldi not just a school, but a defining part of Houston’s cultural landscape.
Teachers who saw Vivaldi’s promise just don’t understand how it all crumbled so badly.
“In the beginning, when I started, it was the dream job,” Todd Blackmon, another former teacher, said. “I really tried to make it work, but something changed. We don’t know what actually happened or what the moment was.”
“People are sold this promise of ‘I can teach, do what I love, and I have these students and I can get paid well for that,’ and it all falls through because people aren’t getting paid,” Rachleff said. “I know people who have gone into debt, working at Vivaldi because they haven’t been paid. Terrible.”
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