Hope That Is Real

BIO – Delray Agnes, Singer-Songwriter

Delray was born in South Africa on October 9th, 1963, to Noel and Merle Cromhout, a loving couple in pastoral ministry. Taking after her dad musically, Delray was found to have a musical ear at an early age! At 5 years old, she wrote a little 8-line chorus that the kids at Sunday school sang, about loving Jesus. Then for years she didn’t write anything , focusing instead on piano for leading worship. After a defining moment* (write in for an account of this) at age 20, songs began to flow again, and to date Delray has written several hundred songs and 11 musicals. These often express her personal journey of faith, with its struggles and triumphs, and reflect a reverence and love for a God Who reveals Himself to people at the crossroads of “real-life”. Biblical truth and Scriptural integrity are an essential foundation to each of her works, and she researches a subject fully, using her father and husband as sounding board for doctrinal verification.

Musically, some songs pulse with the rhythms of Africa, her birthplace and home for 30-something years; others create moments of reflection through ballad-style simplicity. Her songs all point to God as the Way of hope.

Delray has an album called Work In Progress, a project with producer Gary Tash. Gary is renowned for many aspects of musical excellence, and his warm encouraging approach brings out the best in even a nervous beginner. Key themes are: living life with God – authenticity, and how ordinary humans are made significant by an extra-ordinary God.

A debut Christmas single, Hope That is Real, gives a preview of the variety of style evident in the Work In Progress album.

As worship ministry leader at Calvary Tabernacle since 1998, Delray places devotion to God at the center of her musical activities, and always desires to draw people to Him. Here are some pivotal highlights that have been a huge privilege in her musical ministry:

South Africa:

• Itinerant worship training ministry in South Africa in her twenties

• Jabulani, a reconciliation-though-music ministry team in the apartheid era: black and white South African Christians working through and singing about their own relational healing for the example and benefit of others

• Multiple TV appearances with Jabulani

• A solo appearance on Christian TV as songwriter for a song feature for Christmas song, The Shadow of A Cross

• Music-directing the first Pentecostal service broadcast live on South African television

• Coordinating/leading a large multi-racial choir, Whisper of Hope (2 years)

United States

• Worship ministry director in Boston (2 years)

• Worship Ministry and Creative Arts director at Calvary Tabernacle (13 years)

• Designing and leading “CLAY” [Create, Learn, Apply, Yearn] to nurture and train kids, pre-teens and teens in various creative arts ministry.

• Training various internships in Worship Ministry

Europe /Middle East

• Playing anchor keyboard at the Feast of the Tabernacles in Jerusalem, orchestra and band

• Worship ministry training of teams in Bulgaria

Elsewhere

• Training worship ministry in Uganda, teaching congregation and ministry team, learning local indigenous music

• Training worship ministry in Bangladesh, teaching young ministry team, long-term plan for learning

Composition themes

Wedding / Love song

Kids songs

Worship songs

Dedication /surrender /prayer

Reconciliation

Musicals

Whisper of Hope – reconciliation

Jesus Knows Your Name – kids

Everyman’s Easter – Easter

The Invitation - Gospel

Christmas:

The Bethlehem Encounter

Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?

Blame It On the Christmas Cards!

Christmas Shoes

Angels On Assignment

Come Home For Christmas

Christmas Star (music only)

Christmas Hope

CONTACT:

• delrayagnes@gmail.com

• 518-526-3906 (US only)

• 518-370-1010 Ext 29

* (write in to the email address above for an account of this)

• Work In Progress

• Christian/Gospel, Singer/Songwriter
• Delray Agnes
• 10/18/2011
• 

Liner Notes:

1. Work In Progress
2. Unveiled
3. Thula Sizwe
4. I Lean On You
5. Lifter Of My Head
6. Heart of the Father
7. Hope That Is Real
8. Tell Somebody