Rick Smith: For more than 35 years Rick has worked professionally as a church musician in the Episcopal, Presbyterian, and United Methodist traditions. Here in St. Petersburg he served as Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church. Rick has also served churches in North Carolina, Tennessee, the Atlanta Metro area and the San Francisco Bay area of California. His choirs have toured the U.S., England, Italy, Spain, and Scotland, leading worship in such places as St. Giles Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and St. Peter’s Basilica. Rick has also conducted community choruses and ensembles in Georgia, Florida and California. Rick is a native of the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. He earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Michigan State University, where he studied with composer and conductor Dr. Robert A. Harris, recently retired from Northwestern University in the Chicago area. Rick earned the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Tennessee, where he studied with conductor Donald Neuen, now at UCLA. Rick has additional graduate study in Church Music Education and in Christian Worship. As a conductor, Rick is at home in both vocal and instrumental music. He has extensive experience with handbell ensembles and is an accomplished composer. In addition to a lover of great music, Rick is a passionate sailor, a reluctant but regular runner, a solitary hiker and a happy gardener. Rick has been married to his wife, Grace for 40 years. They have one young adult son, Matt.

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