Greg Magirescu (pronounced Magic-Rescue with a silent “c” in Magic) is more than an entertainer with a ministry. More than an evangelist. More than a singer and songwriter for God. He wants to be a catalyst for Christians of every denomination to put their faith into action, as JAMES 2:14-16 suggests.

Greg’s music aims to be “food for the journey”, offering encouragement and hope. His songs also are a challenge to reflect on each person’s walk with Jesus. He does this in a positive and fun manner. One thing is for sure – people will not go home the same after one of Greg’s concerts. A commonly heard statement following one of Greg’s concerts is “he’s sure given me a lot to think about”.

Canadian-born to Eastern European immigrants, Greg learned the meaning of work ethic, financial struggle, and personal sacrifice at an early age. His father was a blue-collar postal worker who attended the Romanian Orthodox church every Sunday where he served as a cantor, together with Greg’s Roman Catholic mother. Church was a great mystical experience in the fullness of its Byzantine traditions. “But even though I was an altar boy and went to church every Sunday,” recalls Greg, “I never really knew Jesus or God other than as the two-dimensional images I’d seen depicted in the icons of the church. My early memories of incense rising and somber sounding melodies in a minor key, chanted in a language that I couldn’t understand, put me in awe of heaven. But, I never got to know God as a real Father or Jesus as my personal Savior. God was distant, rather austere and didn’t speak English very well.” Still, the seeds of faith had been planted.

When Greg was 9, he had a burning desire to study the piano, but because the family couldn’t afford one, he had to settle for the accordion. And, thanking God in hindsight, Greg not only learned to play the accordion, but he soon had figured out the violin, guitar, and practically every other musical instrument – including the piano. By the time he was fourteen, he was teaching on weekends at a private music school in Toronto’s west end.

At the age of 16, Greg began writing a weekly column for the Toronto Sun titled The Youth Viewpoint. The newspaper’s editor gave Greg carte blanche to write about issues of the day which affected young people. “I wrote about things like teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, drug addiction, promiscuity, in addition to issues about youth culture, music and the arts,” explains Greg. It was during that time, while covering entertainment and lifestyle features for the paper that he met Dan Hill (Sometimes When We Touch). “Dan invited me to the recording studio one day to watch him lay down vocals for an upcoming album. It was then that the “bug” bit. I was mesmerized by the artistry as well as the technical side of the recording process,” recalls Greg. By the time he was 18, he was writing songs for established recording artists including Anne Murray, Kenny Rogers and Gladys Knight, as well as singing on jingle sessions around Toronto. As the years progressed, he soon headed into acting, dancing, producing and directing.

In 1990, Greg married Marie Clarke, a singer in a Toronto-based vocal jazz group that he directed. In 1993, they settled in the mountains of British Columbia to begin a new life and start a family. In 1997, Greg formed Faith Trio, together with his wife and another friend. Faith Trio’s debut album, In Him We Live, and the single Blessed Are You, went on to sell several thousand copies and a number of the songs are still being played on Christian radio stations in Canada, the U.S., Australia, England, Poland, Germany, Italy and Korea.

Today, Greg is a sought-after songwriter in the Christian music industry. Following the attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001, Greg wrote “You Are Not Alone” , which was released as a single and music video by Catholic Artists For Relief in the U.S., in support of the victims and their families. All proceeds from the project went to the Pentagon Survivors Fund through the Armed Services/YMCA. In November 2001, Greg was commissioned to write music for World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto. Greg’s “Alleluia – a Gospel Acclamation” is included on the World Youth Day CD. Greg will be performing the song at the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2002, officiated by Pope John Paul II, in front of an estimated crowd of 750,000 youth. In addition to being a full-time touring artist, Greg also spends several weeks a year in Nashville, writing with some of the top writers in the CCM industry.

As for Greg’s faith life, it can be summed up this way: “I have finally come to know God intimately in my life… if it hadn’t been for the intervention of “angels” along the way, I don’t know where I would be today,” says Greg. “All I want to do is sing about God’s grace in my life, about my faith walk with Jesus Christ, and about the day-to-day struggle of living as He would want me to live, in the hope that others might take up the call. I really want to walk the walk even if it means never singing another note or writing another song”.

It is Greg Magirescu’s desire that his ministry will truly be food for your journey…