|
|
Singer’s Musical Roots
Lead From Church Choir to South Africa
Erin Bode’s music career began as a child singing in church,
so it’s probably no big surprise that a new CD features her performing with a choir.
But this time, Erin is a rising young recording star
teaming up with a choir of young South Africans as part of a project of help and
hope.
Recording with the "Themba
Girls" is the latest chapter for Erin Bode (pronounced BOH-dee), an
acclaimed vocalist who has recorded two CDs, performs internationally and
has opened for such artists as Michael Buble, Chris Botti and Jamie Cullum.
As the leading lady of the Erin Bode Group, the singer
plays intimate clubs and national platforms. In January, she performed with Garrison
Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” staged at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Mo.,
and broadcast nationwide on National Public Radio.
Erin grew up in Wayzata, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis,
knowing that she wanted to perform. By age five, she was singing with the choir
at Redeemer Lutheran Church, where her father, the Rev. Gerhard Bode, was pastor.
The youngest of four siblings, Erin moved with her family to Missouri when her father
became pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Des Peres, a St. Louis suburb.
At Webster University, Erin pursued a double major in music
and foreign language. She explored jazz, formed her own band and began building
a loyal following. Musician Syd Rodway joined the group, and the couple married
in 2004.
Erin has recorded two CDs. She penned the title song of her debut album, "Don't Take Your Time," with her pianist Adam Maness. Her second album, “Over and Over,” also
features originals as well as pop and jazz classics.
Last Thanksgiving, Erin and the band recorded with the “Themba Girls,” a South African
girls school choir, in rural Dirkiesdorp as part of a project coordinated by LCMS
World Relief and Human Care to raise scholarship support for needy students.
LCMS World Relief and Human Care is the mercy arm of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), the church body where Erin
has deep roots. Her late grandfather, J.A.O. Preus, once was president of the LCMS,
one of the United States’ 10 largest Christian denominations. Like their father,
Erin’s brothers also are LCMS church workers: Gerry, an instructor at Concordia
Seminary, St. Louis; Chris, a pastor in Buffalo, Minn. Sister Katie is a homemaker in Minnesota, married to Pastor Eric Nelson.
Since returning from South Africa, Erin’s performances
often include a mention of South Africa. "I would like to give people the opportunity to learn more and to get excited about how they can be a part of helping out," Erin says.
To learn more about Erin’s CDs and performance schedule,
visit www.erinbode.com.
|
