Andrea Pederson – Director
“Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!“
Psalm 96:1
Having completed her B.A. in Vocal Performance at Trinity Western University, Andrea has been a professional vocalist and recording artist for over twenty years. Her passion for vocal and choral music has been lifelong and she has fond memories of choral performances, recordings, and festivals throughout her childhood and adolescence.
Andrea is committed to promoting proper vocal technique and excellent musicianship through fun activities, games, and quality repertoire. She is also committed to developing relationships with each singer enrolled in the program while encouraging each to grow deeper in their understanding of and relationship with God.
In addition to teaching private lessons out of her home studio, Andrea is also part of the team at Pacific Voices, formerly Pacific Mennonite Children’s Choir, where she directs the “Spark” Division.
Andrea resides in Mission with her husband, Brian, a Captain in the Abbotsford Fire Service. They have three daughters who are all enrolled in the choir. Together, they also manage a menagerie of farm animals on their organic hobby farm.
Christopher Savage – String Ensemble Director
Christopher Savage is a Fraser Valley based violinist and educator. He has played the violin for over 18 years and has been teaching and performing professionally for over 10 years. For work, he currently maintains a thriving studio of over 60 students, performs with ensembles and orchestras, plays for weddings, galas and other events and teaches at a non-profit music academy providing music education for underprivileged children and youth.
He is also the founder and musical director for the Mission Strings Ensemble. While pursuing violin performance at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, he studied with Dr. Calvin Dyck and The Borealis String Quartet.
Mark Hildebrand – Acoustic Guitar & Ukulele
Mark Hildebrand discovered the guitar at age 14. He plays acoustic, electric and lap steel, mandolin, ukulele, bass, and banduria. He has been teaching all ages how to enjoy these instruments for over 30 years.
As a young man, he won the Royal Conservatory’s silver medal of Canada in classical guitar. Mark has continued by composing new finger-style works that showcase his training. Some of these instrumentals appear on his solo album “Language of Love” and with One Acre’s “Big Back Yard”.
Mark has always admired artists like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and old masters like Robert Johnson and Son House. That passion led to a nomination for a Covenant award by the Canadian Gospel Music Association for best blues song – Waiting For the Resurrection. In July 2022 Mark released his latest body of work – Journeyman – a collection of seven songs about the journey. All of his music is available on any streaming services
Abigail Wiebe – Accompanist
Abigail Wiebe is a music teacher by trade, graduating with her ARCT in Piano Pedagogy from the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2020. She enjoys finding musical gigs outside of teaching to keep her skills sharp and to help create a rich learning environment for up-and-coming musicians. Besides her teaching and accompanying work, Abigail has also carved out a niche for herself as a Metis fiddler in the Fraser Valley and beyond, participating in numerous cultural events and workshops.
Preferring the background to the spotlight, Abigail enjoys collaborating with other musicians, providing underlying support, and having a quiet and calm presence to help even the most timid students relax, learn, and find joy and satisfaction in their musical endeavours. She also just gets homeschoolers; she was one for her entire education, and absolutely loved it. Working with Andrea at AHC has been a natural fit for her, and she enjoys bringing the choir repertoire from those shaky beginnings to a beautiful finished performance.
Abigail lives in Chilliwack with her husband, Michael and young son, Silas. When she’s not doing musical things she enjoys reading, cooking, crafting, drinking good coffee, and enjoying God’s beautiful creation.
Kyrie Van Hengel – Junior Accompanist
Kyrie Van Hengel has been homeschooled all her life and recently graduated with Honors. She took her Level Nine piano exam from the Royal Conservatory and is continuing to learn and grow in her piano skills. Aside from classical piano, she also plays worship music for her church and youth group. She is eighteen years old.
Kyrie lives in Mission with her family and enjoys spending time with friends, playing volleyball, and making art in her free time.