Paul Cardall, a well-known Latter-day Saint pianist, became the first Latter-day Saint to win an award at the Gospel Music Association’s 50th Annual Dove Awards, held this week. He received the Instrumental Album of the Year award for his album Christmas, which had already landed a spot on 9 Billboard Charts including no. 1 New Age Album and no. 4 Classical Album.
“This win is a beautiful, humbling, incredible moment for my family, fans, and me. I’m amazed to see the impact piano music has on people of diverse faiths and cultures in more than 160 nations,” Cardall exclaimed before adding, “God knows who is hurting, and I’m convinced He wants to heal all of us, one by one. He healed my heart. And it’s been my life’s work to heal other hearts.”
Cardall worked with many other Christian and gospel performers for Christmas, which was produced by Jim Daneker. It includes Grammy award-winning gospel singer Cece Winans, devout Catholic and artist Audrey Assad, and musical artist Patrice Tipoki. Like many of his albums, Cardall says he tries to surround himself with those who are more gifted in understanding music than himself.
“I’ve never said, ‘Well, I can only work with this person because they are a Latter-day Saint.’ On the contrary, I’ve discovered that working with people who share my same love for the power music has to help God heal hearts is all that matters,” he shared.
He continued, “What this means for Latter-day Saints, I believe, is that we need to have a more open mind in regards to what we think we know about our Christian brothers and sisters. I’ve found in this process that we are more cautious than they are in working together to make the world a better place.”
Cardall is celebrating his win along with his latest album, Peaceful Piano, a reflection album dedicated to the 10th anniversary of his heart transplant. The new album was even mentioned in a Forbes article that shared how Cardall “draw(s) upon his own experiences to create soothing melodies that offer comfort.” They recognized that “his songs take the listener on an emotional journey.”
For Cardall, it’s not just about creating good music but about building those relationships with others.
“It’s my hope that we can follow the example of the apostles who are building relationships with God’s other inspired laborers working in other parts of the Lord’s vineyard for the purpose of bringing everyone to Christ,” he said.
