John Ylvisaker

John Carl Ylvisaker is perhaps best known for his hymn, 'I Was There To Hear Your Borning Cry'. He was born in Moorhead, Minnesota and is a graduate of Concordia College located there. During the last 45 years John's words and music have been a powerful influence on the development of new worship materials for the church, with his compositions appearing in hundreds of worship resources.

In addition to being an artist and composer, John's past experience includes teaching high school music, directing church choirs, and serving as the producer of SCAN, an award-winning weekly radio program sponsored by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). John also has composed much of the original music for Lutheran Vespers radio broadcasts and ELCA videos, as well as theme songs for gatherings and events.