ABOUT CARLY

Carly was born and raised in the San Antonio area, spending most of her childhood growing up in a small nearby town on a 13-acre plot surrounded by hay and cattle. Born into a family with a long lineage of musicians, Carly learned at an early age to interpret and process the world around her through music, cutting her teeth on the sounds of Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash. She began singing in church as a child whenever she could, and picked up the guitar around the tender age of ten.

By the time she was a teenager, Carly was regularly singing and playing guitar in church on a weekly basis. Though her foundational church experiences took place in a charismatic evangelical church tradition, Carly found community in the youth group at the United Methodist Church across the street from her school, and soon became a band leader there for her youth ministry.

After graduating high school, Carly attended Texas Lutheran University where she sang in the choir and served as a leader in campus ministry. The inter-denominational nature of church organizations on campus gave Carly the opportunity to lead music in a wide array of church traditions, enriching her appreciation for the nuances found within the larger community of faith. This would later lead Carly to partner with ministries serving the greater San Antonio and Austin areas, coming alongside various new church plants to help supply music.

Carly has led church music locally and internationally; in empty parking lots and on large stages; with beginner musicians and Grammy nominated musicians; by herself and with a full band. The one guiding principle that keeps her grounded in her purpose as a leader and musician is her belief that music touches our souls the way other mediums cannot, and there is a holy responsibility for ministers to provide an opportunity to connect with God through music in a way that is ethical, non-manipulative, and non-coercive. This guiding principle is largely what drew Carly to the Episcopal Church, and remains at the forefront of her convictions as she creates music.

Currently, Carly splits her time as a Music Minister for Jubilee Episcopal Church and a public school teacher. She loves trail mix, Topo Chico, and her local library.

Carly shares her home with her spouse and their two pugs, BG and Bayley.