Mark hildebrand music

Little Mark loved sports. Hockey, football, baseball – he played them all. But Mom always made sure he made time to practice the piano. Later, finding his true passion in the guitar, he was grateful for every moment of that discipline.

Born and raised in BC, in a home filled with classical piano, western guitar, and hymns of the church, Mark’s musical journey was, from the start, diverse. Upon discovering the guitar as a young teen, he continued to explore and experiment with many styles of sound. He would listen to, and study, every great artist he came across, from Phil Keaggy, to Carlos Santana.

As a young man, he won the Royal Conservatory of Music silver medal while training in classical guitar. Mark has continued to challenge himself as a classical guitarist, transcribing difficult pieces, and composing new finger-style works that showcase this training. Some of these instrumentals appear on his album with One Acre, titled Big Back Yard.

In the end, however, his heart was won by the blues. Mark has always admired contemporary blues artists like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Stevie Ray Vaughn, but the older he gets, the more he finds himself diving into material by the old masters, like Robert Johnson, Son House and Lead Belly. The result of that passion lead to a nomination for a Covenant award by the Gospel Music Association in the Blues category for a song he wrote and recorded - Waiting For the Resurrection.

Whether composing original pieces, performing live, or teaching music at a local college, Mark’s talent is in demand. He has also been a guitarist for hire for international performers needing a local musician who is a quick study. His most recent effort included writing, producing, singing, playing guitar, and lap steel on two recent singles, Under the Same Sun, and Waiting for the Resurrection, available currently on CD Baby at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/markhildebrand.

Mark has mastered many styles, but what defines him best is how he patiently abides in the Creator of all music. In the song, Language of Love from his first album by the same name, he writes, “Quiet your heart, don’t make a noise. Listen to that still small voice.” The value he stores in this is best expressed by C.S. Lewis: “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body”

Hear him play.

You’ll know it’s true.