Bios |
|
|
|
On August 12, 2008, the world of ethnodoxology lost a
giant. Tom Avery died of a sudden heart attack in Tom was well known as a leader in ethnomusicology
with Wycliffe Bible Translators. For many years he worked in Tom was also co-founder of the Wycliffe World Music
Band, which performed global Christian music for many thousands of people.
Most of the current members of IziBongo were a part of this troupe. His
passion has become our passion – to help the peoples of the world know
God, love him, and worship him fully. A Pakistani Pastor penned this tribute to Tom: A singer can die but not his song.
- Ph.D. in Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Indiana University. |
|
Ethnomusicology - Using indigenous music to move printed Scripture into people's hearts. Cory & Julie are members of Wycliffe Bible Translators since November 2000, and assigned to Wycliffe's Ethnomusicology and Arts Group. Cory was also a member of Wycliffe's World Music Band in 2001. He lived in Alaska for 21 years and has traveled to regions of Asia and the Pacific. He has been married for 19 years and has seven children. Cory - Administrative support for a global impact of heart-music
hymnodies including training, conferences, resource development and
publications.
|
Cory with his dance face on. |
|
Patrick, Chris, Linda & Paul or Click here to support our Ministry Fund# 061
|
Paul is a prolific ethnomusicologist. He has helped over 30 groups and tribes in Africa write hymns and scripture songs in their own musical styles. He has also worked with musicians and composers in Mongolia. He is the Ethnic Music Coordinator for the International Worship & Arts Network and President of the International Council of Ethnodoxologists (ICE). He is the founder of Onóra, a Celtic Christian band that has recorded 2 CDs. Paul edits EthnoDoxology, the quarterly journal for people interested in music and missions. He teaches ethnomusicology at places across North America and trains interns overseas. He has written 2 books and over 50 articles and reviews on ethnomusicology. His primary instrument family is percussion. Paul is the original visionary and founder of the Wycliffe World Music Band, of which IziBongo is an outgrowth. A full biographical sketch can be found at www.worship-arts-network.com/PAULsite.html. -
B.A.
in Social Sciences, Colorado Christian University Linda is a Bible Translator. She served with Wycliffe Bible Translators beginning in 1979 in Ghana, West Africa. She and her partner, Natalie Sand, completed the translation of the Akyode New Testament, which was dedicated in December 2001. She also initiated a literacy program among the Gikyode people which is now fully indigenous. She is now supervising Old Testament translation as a consultant, and working in partnership with Wycliffe/SIL to develop a set of commentaries in "easy English" for mother-tongue translators. She and Paul have given many musical presentations together. - Certificate in Advanced Studies, Moody Bible Institute |
|
Paul & Cathy met while doing graduate studies at the International Linguistics Center in Dallas, TX.
They have ministered together since 1989 as worship leaders and teachers in local churches.
Paul was formerly a government systems engineer, and Cathy was the accounting manager for a small law firm.
Beginning in January 2001, they spent six months studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem before launching into
a "tent-making" music ministry with Artists in Christian Testimony - to help bring worship and the Word of God into the heart music of peoples of all nations.
|
Click on the picture to link to our personal Home Page, Click here for a brochure describing our ministry. or Click here to support our Ministry Fund# 037
"Hold onto your hat, matey! She's about to blow!!"
|
|
|
Bible Translation and Scripture Use Through Music in Nigeria Brad was the director of the Wycliffe World Music Band in 2001. He and Christy led the group on a well received summer tour to the Creation East and Cornerstone music festivals.
|
|
(ethnomusicologist - vocals, keyboard,
cuatro, percussion)
|
|
|
|
Laura Eppler: (flute, quena, fife, Chinese bamboo flute, vocals, percussion) Laura grew up as a Wycliffe missionary kid in Manila, Philippines and Dallas, Texas. She began her musical journey on the piano as a young child, but really developed a love for music when she picked up the flute at age twelve. She met the IziBongo scallywags her senior year in high school in 2001, and has been joyfully making music with them on and off ever since. Laura first heard the word "ethnomusicology" when she was fourteen and immediately developed a passion for it, pursuing it both formally and informally throughout high school and college. She went on to study the flute in the Conservatory of Music at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and spent six months in rural South Africa as part of Wheaton's Human Needs and Global Resources program. Laura now lives in the beautiful city of Chicago, where she works with men on the streets at Emmaus Ministries; is involved in music ministries, children's ministries, and the refugee community at her church; and enjoys bicycling and seeking out other musical endeavors. |
|
Duane Clouse: (percussion, vocals)
|
|
|
http://www.davidsinstruments.com
|
David Schottle: (sound tech) (as of 2002) I'm 43 years olds and hold an Associates Degree in music from Harper
College in Palatine Illinois. I moved to the Dallas area about a
year and a half ago from Chicago. Until recently, I worked at Mars
Music in the band and orchestral instrument repair department. I did research and development for L.A. Sax for 6 years. There I
designed the "Saxtech" neck for saxophone, their straight alto
and tenor saxophones, as well as, redesigned the Orsi sopraninos, bass and
contra-bass saxophones they imported under the L.A. Sax name. |
|
Chris grew up in the northwestern State of Oregon , the oldest in a family of eight children, all very talented, who performed as a family group throughout the U.S. during their childhood and teenage years. Chris left the family band in his early twenties to go on the road with various country and rock bands playing club gigs in and around the U.S. until he finally wound up in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area in 1995, playing at various clubs and doing session work in local recording studios. The following year he went to work as piano/fiddle player with Ray Benson's Austin-based Grammy-Award Winning western swing band “Asleep At The Wheel.” During his four-year tenure with this great band Chris had the opportunity to work both in the studio and on stage with many great artists including George Strait, Reba McIntire, The Manhatten Transfer, Ricky Skaggs, Huey Lewis, and a host of others. Chris also received two Grammys and seven nominations for taking part in the Wheel's “Ride With Bob” album, their second tribute to the great Bob Wills. Always in the pursuit of the American Dream, Chris left the band in late 1999 with his wife Lisa and daughter Ericka to open his own recording facility just outside the quaint town of Burleson , TX., where they live today. With the studio and the best musicians and engineers at his doorstep, (and much pleading from his fans and family), Chris has completed a new CD called Pipe Dreams. Randy Elmore had this to say about Pipe Dreams. "In this day of everything being specialized and labeled it is becoming extremely hard to find anything that is original and even harder to find something that has an individual's mark upon it. As of right now you don't have to look any further than this CD. You have just entered the world of Chris Booher, pianist extraordinaire. If you're looking to hear the blues, western swing, country, jazz or classical style playing, you have just sit down in front of the right set of speakers. Chris has also assembled the finest cast of players on this CD that anyone could possibly imagine, each one a celebrated artist in their own right. I have listened to this CD and can't imagine how music could get any better..." CD Baby CHRIS BOOHER Pipe Dreams
|
|
|
FORMER MEMBERS OF OUR TROUPE |
|
|
|
Brian is 21 and has been drawn to music all his life. He began his formal musical education at the age of 4 with
the piano. At the age of 11
he began learning the trombone, and two years later he started working on
bassoon and played for 6 years performing with his high school band.
Brian has also picked up many other instruments along the way,
among those: guitar, drums, and many of the instruments that are played in
IziBongo. He is currently
enrolled at Cedar Valley College where he is studying vocal performance.
He is also involved with Family Music Theatre there. Brian attends New Life Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas. Before that he attended River of Life church where he was
involved with the worship ministry there for 10+ years.
He began working under Paul and Cathy McAndrew with the overheads
and eventually joined the team. He
has been serving there for the past 2 years as one of the worship leaders.
Brian has co-founded Zamar, a worship band started in the Fall of 2000 with his best friend. They have written a few original worship songs over the past 2 years. Visit their website at www.zamarband.com. |
|
Occupation: Associate TV Producer for the Nationally syndicated
television program, the LIFE Today show (www.LIFETODAY.ORG).
Also percussionist for IziBongo, The Eimi Hall Band, Rose of Sharon &
the Grace Community Church Praise band in Arlington Tx.
|
|
|
drew_kelly@wycliffe.org
|
Serving East Africa through ethnomusicology and literacy. Drew - Ethnomusicologist: Tapping into
the heart music of a people to reach them most effectively with the
message of God's Word in song. Drew and Lisa Kelly are full-time missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators and are working with displaced peoples in East Africa. Drew will be working in the field of ethnomusicology. Lisa will be assisting in a literacy program.
|
|
Neil and Joyce each from an early age felt God calling them to work in cross-cultural missions. Growing up thousands of miles apart, they each enjoyed missionary stories and short term mission experiences. Both wondered how God might eventually use their skills and abilities on the mission field. After they met at Wheaton College, they began to picture a future together. Neil's graduate studies in ethnomusicology, a field combining musical analysis with cultural study, seemed to be directly applicable to world missions. The study of music within its cultural setting shows why music has meaning for the people who create it. Music reaches people in a different way than the spoken Word and is a vital part of worshipping God. In July 2000 the Coulters were accepted as members of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Using their skills in music, they hope to encourage new believers in other cultures to create their own hymns and songs of praise as they read newly translated scriptures and begin to know the one true God. They are now working in Papua New Guinea, to encourage all the people to praise God in their own cultural and creative languages. Neil
- B.M., Wheaton College
|
|
|
|
Tim Avery: (trombone, shofar, vocals, percussion) (as of 2002) Tim is 17 and a senior at Duncanville High School. He is a
missionary kid who has lived in Brazil and is the son of Wycliffe
ethnomusicology |
|
i was asked to join IziBongo by paul, our leader, because he had heard that i could do some african dance to one of the pieces that we performed. but i was actually a little more interested in the musical aspect of it. my family had substituted for the wycliffe world music band for two years and i was able to play and dance to some of the music. so naturally i got really excited about getting play all the music with other people. i also had a great appreciation for other cultural music because my parents are missionaries with wycliffe and we lived in spain for 4 years and in mexico for 1. from when i was really young i had two great aspirations: to play the flute and to become either an indian or a ballerina. well i was able to take dance first and i took ballet for 2 years. i guess the girly side won out. but after moving to mexico, we couldn't find a place for me to take ballet lessons so that also fell though. then my family moved to a little town called duncanville, southeastern dallas, and i was able to start band, and i'm sure you can guess what i played. dang right, i got to play the flute. well it was really exciting... for about a year. then the band directors asked if anyone wanted to play bassoon. i was like, what the heck is that? whatever it is it sure sounds more interesting than playing flute. so i gave up flute and started playing bassoon and i continue to play, for now 4 years. i guess the desire to dance is still in me because i really loved learning all those fun, ethnic dances and i really can't wait to learn some more. so now for other facts about me. i'm currently a junior at duncanville high school. i've lived in duncanville for 6 years, the longest i've ever stayed in one place. i just turned 16 (finally). umm...well this isn't really important but i'm the youngest member of the band, i was 15 then, but i'm sure, being the smart people that you are, you could figure that out. as i mentioned before i still play bassoon, which was really a help in playing the chirimira because it's a double reed instrument. oh just so everyone knows, i got a shenai for my birthday so now i can be truly authentic when we play indian pieces. YEAH!!!! for those of you who don't know a shenai is the indian for of a shawm (a weird oboe) and i was playing the chirimira in the place of a shenai. i have a real passion for flamenco music and dance on top of a number of other types of music and dance which i'll not list because i would run out of room which i already am."
|
|
|
All we could secure was his mug shot.
|
Justin is 20 years old. He graduated from Duncanville High School in 2001, where he studied media technology for two years and audio technology for 1 year. We asked him to join IziBongo as "The Audio Dude" two weeks before we headed out for our summer tour. He has played guitar for about four years, and is presently studying piano and theology under the tutelage of the McAndrews.
|
|
Terra Putman: (former dance team member)
|
They're invisible until they begin to move.
|
- 
