Contemporary christian artist Aaron Shust will be performing for Union College Family Worship on Friday, October 16th, at College View Church at 7:30 p.m. The Dove Award winning performer will bring his brand of praise highlight his belief in praising God through the storms.
A Pittsburgh native, Shust developed a passion for music at a young age. He learned to play the guitar and piano as a youngster, and starting singing in church at age three. “When I was 13, I was watching a video of a live Michael W. Smith concert, and I remember thinking to myself ‘that’s what I want to do,’” he said in an interview with Stoyan Zaimov of Christian Post Entertainment. Later while studying music theory at Toccoa Falls College, Shust honed his performance skills in coffee shops, churches, and on campus.
He true loves lies in playing at churches, adult retreats, and youth camps. “I feel closest to God whenever I’m leading people in worship,” Shust said in an interview with 104.1 FM—the Fish ” When I can step away from the microphone and a sea of people appear who are singing to God from the bottom of their hearts and at the top of their lungs, that’s where I feel God’s pleasure. I absolutely love that.”
His second single “My Savior My God” was released in January of 2006 and reached No. 1 on six charts simultaneously by April 17 of that same year. The next year Shust received three Dove Awards at the Gospel Music Association Dove Awards in Nashville: Song of the Year (‘My Savior My God”), Songwriter of the Year, and New Artist of the Year. Shust’s newest album, Doxology, was released on August 28, and features the intertwining theme of praise to Christ for defeating sin and death.
“When finding artist’s I focused on worship leaders, worship bands, bands who started out as worship bands, that sort of thing. That was my primary goal.” said James Dickerson, the concert coordinator of Campus Ministries. “Aaron Shust started as a fantastic worship leader before he started writing music and ended up coming onto the scene. And so that was the primary factor of why I leaned towards him and reached out to him to see if he was available for the event.”
The College View Seventh-Day Adventist Church is located on the corner of South 48th and Prescott Street on the campus of Union College. The concert is free and open to the public—no registration required. Doors will open at 7:00.
By Alisson Knopp, student writer