West Texas native John Priddy (b. 1959) earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Texas Tech University and a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from Indiana University. He was the recipient of a study fellowship from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst which funded conducting studies at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin, Germany. He made his European conducting debut in Switzerland, going on to conduct numerous stage works in France, Belgium, Monaco, Liechtenstein and the United States. Mr. Priddy spent almost a decade as a conductor, stage director and arranger in German opera houses, spending much of that time in the newly reunified eastern portion of the country. In Branson, Missouri he worked as a music director, arranger and producer for a number of artists, including Shoji Tabuchi and Bobby Vinton. In addition to several sacred choral anthems, Mr. Priddy’s compositions include 2 major works for chorus and orchestra - Passion: Seven Lasting Words and Hodie, the German musical Dreams and the sacred children’s stage work Grace, Love and Dirty Socks. He is Director of Worship and Music at First United Methodist Church of Denton, Texas.