John Sutton received his Bachelor of Arts in Sacred Music and Bible Literature from Northwest College in 1982, and in 1997 he earned the Master of Arts in Choral Conducting from San Jose State University, where he was a student of Dr. Charlene Archibeque. John is currently in the doctoral program at UCLA where he studies choral conducting with Professor Donald Neuen.

As a full-time professional musician for over 20 years, John has distinguished himself in the area of Church Choral Music, establishing programs which have attracted over 400 weekly singers in choir programs for grades K – 12, and adults. Serving communities in Oregon, Washington, Colorado and California, John is known for impacting the community through his active involvement and leadership in the arts. John has been active in ongoing training for choir members and in 1991 established the Tri-Valley Choral Workshop in the San Francisco Bay Area, which has grown to be the largest single day choral event in the nation for church choir members, each year drawing over 500 singers from throughout Northern California.

John’s commitment to the local community also resulted in his founding of concert series in every community in which he has served, bringing individuals and groups such as the Vienna Boys Choir, the Philadelphia String Quartet, Christopher Parkening, Monty Alexander, Jubilant Sykes, Tuck & Patti, the Suzuki Children from Japan, the United States Navy Band, and many other internationally known musicians and ensembles to community and regional audiences.

Beyond his focused choral training in the university setting, John has had the opportunity to study with some of the top choral conductors in the field including performances and training with Robert Shaw, Helmut Rilling, Eric Ericson, Weston Noble, Frank Pooler, Howard Swan, Paul Salamunovich, Anton Armstrong, Eph Ely, and others. In addition, he has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad in choral concert tours and recording projects which include performances at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Constitution Hall.

His enthusiasm for the choral art and his commitment to excellence has made him a popular choral clinician, festival conductor and adjudicator. He was selected as one of the featured choral conductors at Lake Avenue Church’s 1996 Festival of Choirs, conducting over 1200 singers in song. John has been a featured choral clinician and workshop leader for groups such as the American Choral Directors Association, Choristers Guild, the Association of Christian Schools International, Choral Conductors Guild, Augsburg Publishing House, the National Association of Church Musicians and others. In 2004, John is presenting workshops on “Intergenerational Choirs” at the Conference on Liturgy and Worship in Denver and for the National Association of Church Musicians in Virginia.

In addition to his work with festival groups, conferences and choral gatherings, John serves on the National Board of Choristers Guild, an international organization whose mission is to promote the spiritual nurture of children and youth through music.

John resides in Los Angeles, California where he enjoys reading, traveling, hiking and returning his phone calls. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Azusa Pacific University where he lectures in the School of Music and serves as the Director of Choral Activities and as the Director of their Artist Concert Series. This is John’s first year as Associate Conductor with the Angeles Chorale.