On November 3rd, Servite High School junior Sean Oliu was invited to perform during the national broadcast of Bobby Schuller’s Hour of Power. Sean joined Dr. Marc Riley, the Hour of Power Orchestra, and his band in performing “If We Never Meet Again” by Merle Haggard, and “All the People Said Amen” by the well-known Catholic artist Matt Maher.
When asked about his musical inspiration Oliu explained, ”It just stems from hours and hours of listening to country music with my grandpa growing up. I think a lot of that kind of finds itself in worship music and everything can lead back to us here today…and it’s been an absolute blessing.”
As a young boy, Sean was introduced to classic country music artists such as Johnny Cash, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Hank Williams by his grandfather. He fell in love with the genre and has blended it with blues, Americana and early rock n’ roll forming his unique musical style.
Explaining about how he developed his career, “I’m a cantor at our mass for our church services and you know I think there is a special connection that music brings to our worship and you know I think it’s a blessing to be able to do what you love and have that deeper meaning in everything you do.”
Oliu’s band is composed of Sebastian Mendoza on bass guitar and fellow Servite alumnus Nathan Reyes from the Class of 2017 on vocals and cajon.
Music has opened many doors for Sean. In fact, he feels so strongly about the importance of music that he started an annual fundraiser and non-profit called, “Kids Giving Back” to support music in local schools. To date “Kids Giving Back” has raised over $50,000.
So proud of you Sean and the joy you bring to this world!