Hello and welcome to Upswing Music!

Home for me is here in the heartland of Canada:  Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Born and raised in Vancouver, B.C., no one was more surprised than I was when my 'prince' – Ron MacLean (no, not the Canadian hockey icon), carried me off across the mountains and out onto the flat prairies to start a new life.  And here I can be found still, happily settled in the tall prairie grass (yes, that is a picture of my backyard!)

Until the age of 16, I was earnestly caught up in New Age pursuits.  Drawn along by a family who was keenly interested in spirituality and God-seeking, I acquired mountains of ideas about God.  But it was merely concepts, without connection  - what I really longed for was relationship with Him.   At 16, I encountered God dramatically through Jesus Christ, and my life was never the same again. I found my reason for living, when He found me. Though I had lived for myself, now I lived for Him – a trade off I’ve never regretted. That’s my definition of worship…my life for His pleasure.  The returns are amazing.

As a child I loved music.  An oddity in my family, I listened to it all the time.  Only trouble was, I despised piano lessons, was a reluctant musician and a complaining thorn in the side of my well-intentioned mother.  I did, however, become a secret song writer, entitling my first song at 11 years old:  “Why” (A fitting title in a family of seekers). But it was when I met Jesus Christ that I finally had something to write about…something to sing about….Someone to sing to.

The album Beyond is a record of my journey with Him and my glad discoveries about Him.

When I’m not composing tunes or obsessing over lyrics, I’m busy running the race with Ron, and the church we pastor.  We have 4 beautiful daughters who also love to sing (I used to envy Maria von Trapp…no longer!). I’m privileged to lead the worship ministry at Gateway Church in Winnipeg, and I’m pretty much surrounded by truly amazing people all the time.  Life is good….but even better…is my God.

Mary

Beyond is Mary’s first album.

Produced by Jordan Jackiew