Music and faith have always been linked for Jill Anderson, a member of St. Joseph in West St. Paul who graduated from St. Agnes School and the University of St. Thomas, both in St. Paul. She has performed with touring choirs, big bands, jazz ensembles and even a country band over the years, but the constant has been singing in church. One of her greatest joys is making the kind of music that people can pray at Mass or in adoration of the Eucharist.
That music took on a deeper meaning when the singer married Steven C., an accomplished pianist and recording artist. While the two can be seen taking the stage together in concert, they also play at churches across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Now married one and a half years and living in Lake Elmo, life is busy for the musician who works in digital marketing by day and freelances in music on the side.
Jill and Steven will present a free concert of patriotic music, folk songs and hymns at 6:30 p.m. June 30 at St. Joseph. Learn more about their upcoming performances at stevencmusic.com.
Q) You persuaded your St. Paul boy to move to the country!
A) Ha, not quite. We had to give it considerable thought. There is a lot about St. Paul that is so well suited to us. The Cathedral and the Commodore truly feel like home to us. But we love our quiet street and neighbors and the spring peepers (a small, chorus frog). The piano room has a tall enough ceiling to record. Ceiling height doesn’t come into play when recording vocals, but it definitely impacts sound quality when recording solo piano.
Q) What do you love about singing?
A) I feel like I can express more of myself through music than I ever could in words. Especially if I’m singing something that holds significant meaning for me. The meaning could come from a place of nostalgia, because it’s something my grandpa used to sing, or it could come from a place of conviction, maybe because a lyric just grabs you. Through song, I can communicate much more than the text: the melody itself communicates something, the harmonies communicate something, and the manner in which you deliver these things all together really communicates something. Is it a quiet and tender expression of some element of our faith that you hold close? Or is it a big bombastic “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah” that makes you want to shout from the rooftops?
Q) You met Steven as a college student at a recording session and went on to perform together many times, but it was nearly two decades before you started dating.
A) I guess God’s timing really is the best timing! I always looked forward to getting to work with him, and he was my first call any time I needed a pianist, but yes, that is true. The friendship we formed years ago deepened when we both found ourselves single and were playing at some of the same places. We began grabbing coffee afterwards to catch up or talk music, and eventually it developed. I definitely didn’t expect it or see it coming. More than once I was asked how I had found the time to date, since I worked during the week and did so much music on weekends. My answer was that I didn’t have to find the time — he happened to be on the same crazy schedule!
When friends learned I was engaged to a musician, I was often asked who would play (at) the wedding. I laughed every time I got this question, because I had always thought that if I were to ever get married, I’d have Steven Anderson on piano. I never once in my wildest dreams thought he would be the groom!
Q) Do you think your music took on a new tone once your longtime collaboration developed into more?
A) It felt different on stage for sure. Lyrics hit my ear differently or I’d catch his eye at a certain line, and we’d both smile. It is kind of fun to be up there with your partner.
Q) Your partnership sounds so rich.
A) It’s practical. It’s creative. It’s all the things. I’ll hear him developing a new melodic idea at the piano, because it’s in the middle of the house, and I’ll call out from the kitchen: “That sounds like …” And I’ll throw out a title. We have a lot of fun when it comes to song titles and lyrics. We’ll hear something and say to each other at the same time: “That’s a song! We should write that!” I love that creative space, and it is such a nice complement to my data-oriented full-time work, which isn’t artistic at all, but I appreciate a good spreadsheet!
Q) What’s in store for you two?
A) There’s a lot we’d like to do. We want to play live more and we want to record together, because people have been asking and it’s a passion project for us, too. I don’t know how we’ll do it all, but I just brought home the giant wall Post-it notes this week. We graduated from the little squares. I’ve got a music list, my work list, my weekend list. Some days I’m like: “Why didn’t we buy a condo? I don’t have time to weed!”
Q) What’s it been like adjusting to Steven’s higher profile?
A) I enjoy being on stage and love talking to people, but I’m also a pretty private person by nature, so the always-on element that goes into his work as an independent musician is an adjustment for me. It’s an area of compromise for us both. He tries to see things from my perspective, and I try to accommodate the element of the business where listeners want to connect with artists they add to their playlists.
Q) How do you support Steven in action?
A) I provide emergency snacks and make sure there’s adequate hydration that’s not coffee. The organizational piece is more my gift. He’s one of my favorite people to cheerlead for, because of the heart he puts into his music. The world needs more beauty!
Q) What does self-care look like for you as a singer?
A) Other singers are probably more disciplined with proper warm-ups and herbal teas. The vocal hack I put to use most often is the travel steam inhaler. It looks strange when other drivers pass us on the road, but nothing calls for it like the Easter Triduum! It’s like giving your voice a steam bath.
From a prayer perspective, I guard the Mass because I don’t want it to get to a point where it feels like I’m going to work and not like I’m going to pray. That can be a risk with bigger liturgies, but that’s a small sacrifice I can make for the intentions I’m bringing with me. I often find myself relying on shorter bursts of prayer. In the sacristy of the Cathedral when we’d pray before Mass, Archbishop Flynn used to say: “Come, Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit.” He’d say it five times. That’s all he would say. If you were ever at Mass with him, you probably heard it, too. All these years later, that has stayed with me — that idea of invoking the Holy Spirit to settle the heart and mind.
Q) I was just thinking about that! Archbishop Flynn gave us a lasting gift with that simple but profound lesson in prayer.
A) Yes!
Q) We’re on the same wavelength. We also share a love for St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Artists.”
A) I’ve hung onto so much in that letter! His words really resonate when it comes to sacred music, where we hope to “stir hearts to wonder” so that the wonder can one day become awe.
Q) As a cantor, you have a unique vantage point.
A) You wouldn’t believe what we can observe! We’re not constantly in action like the clergy, and while we’re attentive to what’s happening on the altar, we have a direct line of sight to so many people in the pew. It always strikes me when I see older kids stepping in to help with the younger ones or intervening with troublemakers. I love seeing multi-generational families worshipping together on Sundays.
And that front row in a funeral! Oh! If your eyes happen to land on that first row, you know you are witnessing a family having to say goodbye — talk about a moment of privilege, to be with them in that moment. It really puts in perspective the honor that I have, to serve that family right then. If I can somehow be an instrument that helps bring people to a place of prayer or closer to the God who can heal and comfort — good. That’s the goal. If something they hear from me helps them get there better, faster — great. My unofficial prayer before I cantor is always, “Lord, don’t let me get in your way.” I never want to detract or distract but to be a window to whatever God has in mind for his people.
Q) What do you know for sure?
A) I know that God is good and the Church is alive and well here in the archdiocese. I’m just grateful to be a part of it.
