After graduating with a Master of Music Degree from U.H. in 1982, alum Michael Preddy made appearances on Saturday Night Live with The Smothers Brothers, and continued to work for them as their pianist/conductor and one of their managers for the next twenty-five years.
Michael did approximately three seasons of The New Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on CBS from 1987 through 1989, and was heavily involved as pianist and music coordinator, for which he received an Emmy Nomination for Best Musical Direction. Preddy’s final engagement with The Smothers Brothers was in 2007 with The Austin Symphony in Austin, TX. Together they has preformed between 100-200 shows a year for tens of thousands of people. At every show during these 25 years, Dick Smothers introduced Preddy to the audience and always made a point of telling the audience that he received his Master of Music Degree from The University of Houston, a fact Preddy is very proud of.
Notable live performances include The Tonight Show (multiple appearances), the White House Press Photographers, Jones Hall in Houston with the Houston Symphony Pops, The Kennedy Center in D.C. with the National Symphony, and The Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic in 2003.
For his achievements, Preddy received the the Honorable Alumni Award at Pine Tree High School in Longview, TX in 2001.
Further information can be found on Preddy’s website at
http://www.michaelpreddypiano.com.
Awards & Honors