Catholic Fire Music Spotlight: Interview with Sarah & Josh Holthusen

I recently had the wonderful privilege of listening to the glorious music of the gifted singer/songwriters Sarah and Josh Holthusen, a devout Catholic couple from Wichita, Kansas, and they agreed to let me interview them. They are both  graduates of Benedictine University in Atchison, Kansas and the parents of four boys.

Listen to their music.


How did the two of you meet?

SARAH:  We met on our very first day of college at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. We just happened to be in the same orientation group. Josh overheard me say that I was interested in taking guitar lessons, and he offered to teach me. We became instant friends, and he eventually asked me to be his RCIA sponsor. A few months later, we began dating. Josh proposed to me nine months later, and we got married the summer before we graduated. We have been married almost 15 years!

How did you get started in the music business?

JOSH:  A couple of months after we graduated, we loaded a U-Haul full of dreams and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. There we learned a lot about the music business…from how to write a song, getting a song published, the recording process, and all the ins and outs of the Nashville music scene. After our second son was born, however, we knew we wanted to move closer to home so that our children could grow up knowing their relatives. So we packed the U-Haul again and moved back to Kansas.


What types of musical activities do you do now?

With four young boys in the house, we stay very busy, but in our spare time, we enjoy singing and playing at Mass and performing at various festivals, special events, weddings, etc. We also enjoy writing for upcoming recording projects after the boys go to bed at night. We have a small recording studio in our home, so we are able to record our own c.d.’s as well as demos for other songwriters.


To those who may not be aware of your versatility, what music genres do you perform?

We love many types of music, but our sound tends to be simple and accoustic music, as though you were sitting in our living room listening to us perform. We love Catholic, Christian, and Country music.


What are your current recordings and which seems to be the most popular?

We have recorded a Catholic c.d., which is a collection of original, contemporary and traditional songs (“You are Mine,” “I Am the Bread of Life,” “Prayer of St. Francis,” etc). We also have a Christian c.d., which is a collection of traditional Christian hymns and a couple of original songs. We also have a Country c.d., which includes original songs that we wrote and recorded while we lived in Nashville. Our Catholic c.d. is our most popular one right now, as we have been playing primarily in front of Catholic audiences. It has been exciting to know that there are Catholics all over the world who are listening to our music after finding us on iTunes and other downloading sites.


Do you have any upcoming recording projects?

Yes! We are getting ready to record a “Christmas” c.d., and we have plans in the near future to record another “Catholic” c.d. and a project of original positive Country-Christian songs.


How is your Catholic faith integral to your music ministry?

Well…..it has definitely brought us to where we are today! While living in Nashville, our faith helped us make positive choices that kept us on the “narrow trail” and helped us make the decision to move back to Kansas. Our faith has also helped keep us focused on what is important as our family has continued to grow. We incorporate our faith into every song we sing and write, and we hope that comes through to the listener.

Where does the inspiration for your compositions come from?

 The songs that are the best are always the truest songs. Some of our songs, we have lived. Others have been inspired by people we know and love. In the end, though, we are simply instruments of the Lord. We are just holding the pen.


What future plans do you have?

As our boys get older, we are hoping to find more opportunities to perform wherever God leads us.


Any closing comments?

We don’t know exactly what God has planned for us, but we plan on using these gifts He has given us for His glory and honor. We will go wherever He needs us to be.

Listen to their music. 


For more information on Sarah and Josh, visit them at http://sarahandjoshmusic.com/