Singer finds calling at st. benedict’s table

Trish Vrolijk has loved singing since she was young. She fondly recalls having to sing hymns with her family every Sunday night, her Dad at the guitar, while living in Paraguay as a child. But it wasn’t until recently that Trish considered herself a musician.

“I’m a musician because of saint bens”

“I’m a musician because of saint bens,” Trish says emphatically. “The community has offered me the continued space to grow slowly. Looking back I have grown and changed as a musician so much as a result of the continued invitation to be a part of the music, to share what I could and trust that even a little is something.”

Over the course of nearly a decade, Trish has progressed from occasionally singing on the worship team to contributing her own compositions regularly at st. benedict’s table. She credits the firm but positive guidance of experienced musician-mentors at the church, like Larry Campbell, Al Fehr and Charles Garinger, for pushing her to find her unique voice as an artist. But Trish also recognizes the importance of putting sentiment into action, specifically through the tangible support of artist residencies at saint benedict’s table. She has received two formative residencies: the first, in 2019, helped her find confidence as a songwriter. The second, which is just wrapping up, has helped Trish produce a radio-quality recording that will share her music beyond Sunday worship.

Trish’s original song, Still, was inspired by Psalm 139. Her 2022-23 artist residency allowed her to team up with Texas-based producer Paul Demer to complete a recording of the song. “We talked about the song…I wanted to create a space of comfort, the idea that we can look and difficult things and know that we are safe and held. A sense of peacefulness. He [Demer] immediately started adding things - things I never would have thought to add - and he just got the vibe of the song.”

Demer is currently mixing and mastering the recording, which will be officially released in the spring of 2023. Trish is looking forward to putting her work out into the world, and although she’s not sure where her musician-journey will lead next, she can confidently say she’s a songwriter now.  Her experiences at saint benedict’s table have helped her recognize the value of the artist within: “art takes time and thinking, and that process is valuable. Creating music, offering it, writing it, is valuable in church and in the world…there is value in the individual offering themselves in this way.”

Trish’s unique offering is her song, and Still is now available at www.trishvmusic.ca. You can also explore some of Trish’s music here: https://www.stbenedictstable.ca/blog/song-in-lent-trish-vrolijk

Trish Vrolijk after Sunday evening worship.