Stephanie Coward-Yaskiw started singing solos in church at the age of six. Not long after, she begged to have piano lessons and her parents, who were both ministers, consented (part of their scheme to always have an organist around for their church services!). She has been playing and singing ever since. After many years of pursuing musical theatre, Stephanie turned her attention to using the arts for social justice, writing and performing her music for church gatherings, demonstrations, conferences, and public awareness events. She has also used music to build bridges between people of different faiths and Christian backgrounds by founding and directing community gospel choirs in both Ottawa and Belleville. One of her biggest goals in life is to provide people with the opportunity to sing their song — even if they think they can’t!

In 1998, Stephanie released her first album, A Rainbow on my Path, which combined Christian and social justice music, as well as music written from her personal life experiences. In Emmanuel, Stephanie fully returns to her Christian roots, tracing the life of Christ from birth, through death and resurrection, to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is her sincere hope that the music in Emmanuel will help people experience the gospel on a deeply personal level.

Stephanie shares her life with her minister husband, Shaun Yaskiw and son Luka, in Ottawa, Ontario, and with the tremendous support of her family and friends, for whom she is eternally grateful to a loving God.