Was your connection with them established I’d been to a one-day workshop with him in know how easy it is to second guess yourself.
then? Sydney. I’ve had this connection with him from I wrote and rewrote that arrangement three or
the early 2000s. We became friends. Through four times. I was never sure if it was perfect,
[Jared] Not really. I think their first album came that friendship and through him knowing what I right or whatever. I spent so much time on it.
out in 92-93 when I was still in high school. I did, I started, probably 7 or 8 years ago, doing I got it done. We tracked it the next day. They
remember that coming out. We sang “The all of Hillsong’s sheet music. That’s been great absolutely loved it.
Power of Your Love” and “Shout to The Lord” since they produce a lot of music.
and all those big early songs of theirs. It was a
Then a few days later, Michael Chislett, their
huge part of my spiritual and musical growing Fast forward to two or three years ago when in-house producer, told me they were working
up. I played with a band called Compliments of “What A Beautiful Name” came out. They were on the new Hillsong United record, Wonder. He
Gus and worked with them for seventeen years. doing an EP release of 5-6 different versions said they’d heard my work on “What A Beautiful
We were a big fish in a small pond. We were of that song. They mentioned in passing that Name” and would love me to do some strings
one of the bigger Christian bands in Australia, they were doing a string version of it. When the on the album. So, I arranged strings and horns
but it was nothing more than a passionate Nashville arranger they’d lined up didn’t work for that album. Then we did the Christmas
hobby. It was never a job. While I was in the out they gave me a call and asked how quickly album, the Peace project, which has some
band we also started a label and signed a few I could do it. That was Tuesday morning. I told quasi-orchestral moments on it.
local artists and made a few little records with them I could record it the next day. I had no them. Again, all just a hobby. But it was through idea whether I could or not. They said, “Great, [WM] What was your approach to that
starting this label that I got connected with we need it by the end of the week.” So, I got arrangement for “What A Beautiful Name”?
Steve McPherson, who was and still is the head off the phone and immediately called the studio of publishing at Hillsong. Steve is one of those where I usually work. They had time available. [Jared] They sent me a track that was sort of
guys who is very generous with his advice and Then I called my orchestral contractor and a remix of the song where someone had played
with his time, so he was really happy to meet told her I needed a string quartet tomorrow. a cello line or a viola line. They said they wanted
with me. She said she could do that. Then I spent the some real strings on it. I asked how married
rest of the day writing the arrangement. You they were to the strings that were already there.
August 2019
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