Bob Vandervliet
For
Bob Vandervliet ’92, classical music and pop music are not mutually
exclusive. He recently released his first CD of original praise and
worship songs called “Near to the Heart of God” from Desert Rain
Music. “This kind of music is a departure from the kind of music I
studied at Houghton, but it is heavily influenced by skills and
knowledge I acquired there,” says Vandervliet.
The CD is the result of a two year effort that was recorded and mixed primarily at his home studio in Cypress, TX. “I’m a self-taught music producer and really enjoy getting in the studio and using all the cool recording toys,” he says. “Doing my own CD has been a goal for as long as I started getting seriously into music production.”
Vandervliet’s hard work has been well received. Recently, the track Loved by God won first place in the Contemporary Christian Music Network International Songwriting Competition for the first quarter of 2010. Jeff McLaughlin, founder of CCMNI, says “Mr. Vandervliet has a great grasp of the art of songwriting. Out of the three songs that he entered into this year’s competition, all three rose to the top 8 out of 132 song entries.” Listen to the winning track here.
A double major in vocal performance and music theory and composition, Vandervliet appreciates the value of his classical training. “The fact that Houghton could offer what is basically a ‘music conservatory’ level music education was a real advantage for me,” says Vandervliet. In the years since graduation, he has published eight Choral Octavos through the Lorenz Corporation and The Shawnee Publishing Co. as well as a collection of hymn arrangements for advanced piano called “Invitations in Ivory,” published by GlorySound.
When Vandervliet isn’t writing and producing music, he is the director of worship and arts at Windwood Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas. “Our services usually have both traditional hymns sung with organ accompaniment and modern Passion/Hillsong style praise songs,” says Vandervliet. “I’ve begun to see part of God’s calling on my life to marry these different musical approaches to worship.”
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