John Friskney

John Friskney, a Colorado native, is a passionate conductor, teacher, and professional singer currently pursuing a Master of Music (M.M.) in Choral Conducting at the University of North Texas.  He currently serves as the Associate Conductor of Vox Aquilae, UNT’s early music chamber choir, and as the Associate Conductor of Chorale, UNT’s tenor bass ensemble.    

John is a proud alumnus of Colorado State University where he graduated summa cum laude and received his Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in Music Education. While attending Colorado State University (CSU) he studied conducting with Dr. James Kim and Dr. Nathan Payant, voice with Dr. Nicole Asel, served as the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Music Theory and Aural Skills courses, and had the unique opportunity to direct their award-winning contemporary A Cappella group, Mainstreet A Cappella. 

Prior to his graduate studies, John was a choir teacher at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, Colorado where he taught Choir, Music Theory, and Technical Musical Theatre. Choirs under his direction have consistently earned superior ratings at district and state festivals and have been selected to perform at the Colorado Music Educators Association Conference (CMEA). His ensembles could be seen performing at school and community events across Northern Colorado, and in 2025, touring across Italy with a rare performance and clinic in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City. 

Outside of his teaching career, John managed to maintain an active singing and conducting career. He served as the Assistant Director of the auditioned community ensemble, Laudamus Chamber Chorale, and was a staff singer for the Sanctuary Choir at First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins. John consistently sang in both professional and semi-professional ensembles such as the NoCo Singers, Laudamus Chamber Chorale, CSU’s Summer M.M.E. Lab Choir, and with Kantorei during their annual residency at the Aspen Music Festival. He has performed as a soloist and chorister at CMEA, National ACDA, Carnegie Hall, the Aspen Music Festival, and on tour in Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic. 

John is a dedicated advocate for choral music education and has involvement in NAfME, CMEA, ACDA, CoACDA and now TMEA. He has a strong passion for promoting life-long music making, cultivating nurturing environments, and creating long-lasting connections with others all through choral music. 

“There is no such beauty as where you belong” – Michael Dennis Brown, The Road Home