MOBILE, Ala. – University of Mobile graduates have received multiple nominations for the 2020 Dove Awards for outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry.
This year’s nominees from the University of Mobile for the prestigious Gospel Music Association awards are worship leader Anna Sailors Pinkham, producer Steven V. Taylor, and classical crossover vocal group Veritas.
Anna Sailors Pinkham has been nominated for four Dove Awards, song of the year, worship recorded song of the year, Spanish language album of the year and worship album of the year, with her group Elevation Worship.
Elevation Worship is part of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. They previously have been nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album and reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Christian AC Songs Chart with the songs “O Come to the Altar,” and “Do It Again.”
Pinkam graduated from the University of Mobile in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in worship leadership. During her time at UM, she was a member of Voices of Mobile, a vocal ensemble that has performed at locations like Carnegie Hall, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the White House.
Steven V. Taylor has been nominated for producer of the year. Taylor co-produced the album “Peace” by Bethel Music with Grammy-nominated producer Ed Cash.
The album reached No. 2 on Billboard’s US Christian Albums Chart and reached No. 3 in OCC UK Christian and Gospel Albums Chart. The album includes the song “Raise a Hallelujah” which peaked at No. 2 in Billboards Top 200.
Taylor graduated from the University of Mobile in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in music education. Taylor now lives in Nashville, Tennesse, and has helped produce over 10 Voices of Mobile recordings in Nashville.
Veritas is a classical crossover vocal group that has been nominated in the Instrumental Album of the Year category. The album “Tune My Heart…Songs of Rest & Reflection” included Veritas’s acapella arrangement of “Be Still My Soul.” The album was No. 1 on the Parable Christian Stores National Retail Chart and was among the top five releases on iTune’s Christian and Gospel Top Albums Chart.
Veritas is comprised of UM graduates Andrew Goodwin ‘10, James Berrian ‘10, Jordan Johnson ‘11, Scott Lawrence’10, as well as Jeff Anderson. Veritas was on the Sandi Patty Farewell Tour performing with the five-time Grammy award winning artist.
Each nominee has been a part of the Alabama School of the Arts (ASOTA) at the University of Mobile. The Alabama School of the Arts is an “All Steinway School,” where students practice and perform on the best-of-the-best Steinway pianos. ASOTA also has its own recording label, “8Eighty Records,” and the Fisher-Brewer Recording Studio.
ASOTA provides student with the opportunity to earn degrees in music education, worship leadership, performance and more. The academic program provides students with a classical music foundation combined with 21st century training, so students graduate with the experience they need to succeed.
The University of Mobile also works with other former Dove Nominees. Roger Breland is founder of the Roger Breland Center for Performing Arts at UM. He also is founder of the band Truth, which was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Big Daddy Weave is a contemporary Christian music group, founded by University of Mobile graduates, with multiple Top 10 Christian hits.
For more information on the University of Mobile and the Alabama School of the Arts, please visit umobile.edu/asota or call 251.442.2222.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Zac Douglas is the marketing communications specialist for the University of Mobile. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in integrated marketing and communications. As marketing communications specialist, Zac is responsible for writing and strategizing content about the university, assisting with media relations, and handling other marketing and communications projects. He is an active member at Cottage Hill Baptist Church and enjoys spending his time surfing, skating and climbing.