School of Music Alums Caroline Ward and Carlos Rising have created an EP with their spouses which released this past August. The EP, self titled “RE.CREATED,” is being used in partnership with a nonprofit called Challenge Ministries Global. We had the chance to talk to Caroline Ward about the announcing of the album.

Q: Well first off, how did this EP and band come together? I know that you and Carlos have previously worked together (particularly in chapel,) but what event or thought passed through the minds of you two that led to this new experience?

Caroline: Joshua and I saw Carlos and Anouk at their wedding in July of 2018 and found ourselves talking about how we were adjusting to post-graduate life in our different cities. At the time, Carlos was working at Mt. Paran North just outside of Atlanta, which was just a few hours away from where we are in Knoxville. We both had just recently gotten married and jumped into full-time vocational ministry and were reminiscing about the various musical opportunities we had during our time at Lee. After graduation, we both found it difficult to find creative outlets, as we no longer were surrounded by a concentrated pool of musicians like we had been at Lee. Half-heartedly, I made a comment—something like “let’s start a band–just to produce some sort of outlet to be creative and write again. We scheduled a weekend about a month later for us four to meet at a cabin in Georgia and try to write, just to test the waters. That weekend is where we dreamed of what we wanted this group to be and wrote our first song, “You Will Sustain.” After that, we really just got together one other weekend, wrote the rest of the songs for the EP, and made a plan to record in the Spring. It was and is important to us to create a space where our spouses—Joshua Ward and Anouk Rising—are included in what we do. And even though neither of them have been involved in created the music itself, they have both been an integral part of who we are what we do as a band.

Q: What are you doing now for work?

Caroline: I am in full-time vocational ministry on the worship staff of Two Rivers Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Carlos recently moved to the Seattle area to take the position of Worship Director at Timberlake Church.

Q: How is the process of recording the CD is going?

Caroline: We recorded the EP in March of 2019 at Next Level Productions in Nashville, Tennessee (the same studio that we recorded the LeeUWorship album at). We spent a weekend cranking out the songs with the help of an amazing team of musicians: Nico Barboza (Electric Guitar/Bass), Aaron Dick (Keys), Michael James (Electric Guitar), Christian Black (Drums) and Kristi Edwards (Violin).

Q: What are the plans after releasing the CD?

Caroline: We released the EP in late August of 2019—it is available on all digital platforms and on our website, recreatedmusic.com. We have embarked on Phase 2–now that we have released our project, we want to establish a relationship with those who listen to our music and to connect them to the organizations that we partner with. This will grow awareness and support to those across the world who need our help the most.

Q: How did Lee help you prepare for this experience?

Caroline: It is difficult to separate my musical knowledge and experience from my time at Lee. We had incredible professors and directors who instilled in us what it means to pursue hard-work and excellence.

Lee University is so proud of you both, and we wish you the best!