In less than 15 years, Curtis Stephan has leapfrogged from promising young songwriter to one of the most productive forces in liturgical music today. A lifelong musician, he received his bachelor’s in music and his master’s in jazz studies from the University of North Texas. He is a parish music director, composer, concert and recording artist and workshop clinician.
Since committing his life to serving the Gospel through music, Curtis has published five solo collections, starting with Through the Storm in 2002. His latest collection, Love Remains: Songs of Consolation, explores grief and finding Christ’s peace after his father’s death. Amid Passing Things features his Mass of Renewal, one of the most popular Mass settings in US parishes since the promulgation of the new Roman Missal in 2011. Curtis recently collaborated with fellow composers on Our Common Home, a collection inspired by Pope Francis’ Laudato Si encyclical, offering timely music touching on themes of care for creation, poverty and solidarity.
Curtis travels the world presenting liturgical training and inspirational music, witnessing to all ages through workshops, retreats, missions, conferences, youth rallies and liturgies. Whether he is teaching the foundational elements of planning music for liturgy, the nuts and bolts of arranging and conducting or leading youth through the sacraments, he has the same goal: helping people connect with God and making disciples for Christ.
Curtis currently lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife and three sons. He is director of music and liturgy for St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell, a mega-parish with more than 30,000 attendees.