Grace College to host nationally acclaimed recording artist Liz Vice

WINONA LAKE – Grace College will host nationally acclaimed entertainer and musician Liz Vice for its annual Sibs Weekend Concert on September 9 at 7 p.m.

Opening for Vice is the Indiana-based solo act Former Ruins (Levi Dylan Sikes). The concert will take place on the Grace College campus on the lawn in front of Indy Hall. The free event is open to the public.

“I became familiar with Liz Vice through her solo recordings and her work with Porter’s Gate,” said Dr. Wally Brath, assistant professor of worship arts at Grace College. “I love how she incorporates jazz, blues and soul music into her original songs and anthem arrangements.”

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, residing in Brooklyn, NY, Vice began his career working behind the scenes of the film and video world only to accidentally find himself behind the mic. Vice’s sound is a fusion of gospel and R&B, with soulful vocals and lyrics deeply rooted in spirituality.

Vice has been praised and featured by Oregon Public Broadcasts’ One Song, NPR’s World Cafe, Mountain Stage, eTown and NPR’s Weekend Edition. The title track from his debut album, “There’s a Light”, has received over a million streams on Spotify. The record’s success led Vice to perform with artists such as The Temptations, Lecrae, John Mark McMillan, Sandra McCracken, Josh Garrels and many more.

Former Ruins is an artist that Brath says Grace College’s worship arts program has followed and admired for some time.

“We appreciate the way Former Ruins deals with the complexities of life as followers of Christ in our current cultural context through their music,” Brath said.

Former Ruins gained a local reputation for their live “hear a pin” performances. Former Ruins blurs the lines between 80s post-punk and salt-of-the-earth ballad, inviting listeners into a world of difficulty, mercy and wonder.

Former Ruins produced an eight-song debut album titled “Large Startling”, with help from Jon Class (Josh Garrels, Strahan and Silicone Boone). The album was released in March 2020.

“This concert is always an exciting event for campus, but it’s especially exciting for students in the Worship Arts program,” Brath said. “Our students look forward to meeting the artists and interacting with them throughout the day of the concert.”

To learn more about the Worship Arts program at Grace College, visit www.grace.edu/programs/worship-arts/.