Priscilla McClure Paetsch (née Johnson; November 18, 1931 – July 19, 2017) was an American violinist, composer, artist, sculptor, horse trainer, and the co-founder of the Paetsch Family Chamber Music Ensemble in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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Early life and education
Priscilla McClure Johnson was born in Evanston, Illinois, United States, on November 18, 1931. In 1946, at the age of 15, she wrote and illustrated the children's book How the Eggplant Came to Be which was published by Adventure Trails Publications.
From 1946 to 1950, Paetsch attended The Putney School in Vermont, where she majored in violin, chamber music, and orchestral performance.
She continued her musical studies at Bennington College in Vermont from 1950 to 1952, majoring in violin performance. After relocating to the University of Wyoming, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in violin, followed in 1956 by a Master of Arts degree in music composition, graduating with highest honors. Her training also included advanced study at the Aspen Institute of Music in Colorado from 1954 to 1955 and at the Detmold Musikhochschule in Germany in 1957.