(Press release)

Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Department of Music and the Temple Area Christian Songwriters Society are sponsoring a Christian Songwriters Workshop on Saturday, April 25 at the Grace Presbyterian Church in Temple located at 2401 S. 57th Street. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Guest clinicians are Robert Sterling and Michael Puryear. The workshop will include sessions on melody writing, lyric crafting, Q & A with guest artists, listening/critique session and a teaching concert.

Robert Sterling is a Dove Award winning songwriter, arranger, and record producer. His songs have climbed to the top of Christian pop, Southern Gospel, and inspirational radio charts, recorded by artists such as Point of Grace, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Gold City, and Sandi Patty. Among Robert's record producing credits are the certified gold albums, “Point of Grace,” “"The Whole Truth," and “"24"” by Point of Grace, and the Grammy-nominated recording, "Love Will," by the Talleys. His extensive body of choral compositions and arrangements spans thirty years and can be found in the catalogs of Word Music, Alfred Music, Shawnee Press, and LifeWay Music.

Robert is a five-time winner of the Gospel Music Association's Dove Award. For five years he chaired the songwriting faculty for the Academy of Gospel Music Arts. In 1997, Robert served as the chairman of the Coalition for the Protection of America's Gospel Music Heritage, testifying before Congress on behalf of Christian songwriters. Robert has also served as an adjunct professor of Music Publishing at Belmont University in Nashville. He is currently serving on the advisory board for Baylor University's Center for Christian Music Studies.

Robert is the author of Jesus' Chairs: A Guide to the Craft of Christian Songwriting.

A 1977 cum laude graduate of Baylor University's School of Music, Robert resides in Brentwood, Tennessee with his beautiful and patient wife, Cindy. They have two awesome sons, Matthew and Aaron, who have grown up, married, and taken the grandkids too far away from home. Matthew lives in New York City, working as a video and film editor. Aaron is an in-demand studio drummer based in Los Angeles.

Michael Puryear has 25 years in the music industry, both as music publisher and songwriter. As a music publisher during this time, he has worked with such diverse writers as Marcus Hummon (God Bless the Broken Road/Ready to Run/Only Love), Steven Curtis Chapmen (Sparrow Records), Ginny Owens (Rocketown Records), Archie Jordan (Almost Like a Song/What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life), Chapin Hartford (Meet in the Middle), John Tirro (So Much for Pretending), Greg Nelson (People Need the Lord), Dick and Mel Tunney (Let There Be Praise/How Excellent is They Name), Scott Krippayne (Word Records/Spring Hill Records), Kyle Matthews (We Fall Down/If You Want Me To), Brian White (The Promise/If You’re Goin’ Thru Hell), Billy Smiley (Whiteheart), Michael Anderson (Maybe It Was Memphis) and Dwight Liles ( We Are an Offering/Proclaim the Glory of the Lord). Michael has had his own songs recorded by Ginny Owens, Diamond Rio, The Martins, Larnelle Harris, Point of Grace, Glen Campbell, Gaither Vocal Band, Avalon, Brian Littrell, Ricky Skaggs, Truth, Jim Ed Brown, Billy Jo Spears, Gold City Quartet, Jim Nabors (Gomer), Michael Peterson, Jessy Dixon, The Singing Americans, Aaron Tippen, Phillips, Craig and Dean, Clay Crosse, John Conlee and Dallas Holm among others. He received a Dove Award as a songwriter for “If We Only Had the Heart” by Bruce Carroll.

Michael’s own Final Four music list cuts by The Oak Ridge Boys, Donnie McClurkin, Michael W. Smith, Jessica Simpson, MN8, Vince Gill, Michael English, Bob Carlisle, Aaron-Geoffrey, Babbie Mason, Mark Lowry, Grover Levy, Ce Ce Winans, Alvin Slaughter, Take 6 and Rachel Lampa among many more. He celebrated ASCAP’s Christian Publisher of the Year in 2001 as VP, BMG Gospel Division: Worked with Universal Music Publishing in a Joint Venture to establish their 1st Christian Music Division; As a consultant to Integrity Music as well as Opryland Music Group for veteran Jerry Bradley.

A graduate of Leadership Music 2002, GMA member, NARAS member, Michael has been a featured speaker/panelist for Nashville Songwriter’s Assn., Taxi, Austin Songwriter’s Group, Centricity Artist/Writer Seminar and Gospel Music Seminar in the Rockies (24 consecutive years) and GMA week.