Arne Kopfermann - lead vocals, guitars
Klaus Bittner - guitars, MD
Alexander Gaiswinkler - keyboards, backing vocals
Alex Lauer - bass, backing vocals
Katrin Lauer - lead & backing vocals
Eckhard Jung - drums
Influences
Sting, Bryan Adams, Switchfoot, Coldplay, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, Jonatha Brooke, Steven Curtis Chapman, Paul Colman, Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn, Bruce Hornsby, Amy Grant, John Leventhal, Larry Carlton, Toto, Sarah McLachlan, John Farnham, delirious?, Amanda Marshall.
PLEASE ORDER MY CD "WITH ALL MY HEART" at www.m2sound.com/arne by clicking on the banner above (Email: info@m2sound.com) for $ 12,99
You can also download the album in all iTunes Stores worldwide and on many other download plattforms !!!!
AND PLEASE CHECK OUT www.myspace.com/arnekopfermannband FOR MORE CONGREGATIONAL WORSHIP SONGS.
I was born in 1967 and raised as one of two sons in a pastors family. Music always played an important role in my life, as my mother was a professional soprano involved in church music. My older brother soon proved to be a very gifted musician, becoming an extraordinary piano player who introduced me to the music of the Beatles and other Rockn Roll legends.
At the age of seven I started to play the violin as well as singing in a classical church choir. Since my main interest was not in classical music, at the age of twelve I exchanged the violin for the guitar, which has been my major instrument ever since. Shortly before that, I had made my commitment to become a Christian in my fathers church, which in the following years experienced a local revival in the inner city of Hamburg, a beautiful Northern German musical capitol. A protestant state church in fact, gathering in an old cathedral with more than 1.000 years of history, but involved in the charismatic movement and offering services that soon drew people from a 100 km radius.
A few years later church attendance had grown from 200+ to more than a thousand, and I was involved in the worship ministry, soon starting to write my own worship songs. More than five hundred songs followed over the next twenty years.
At the age of 16, my family and I visited Bethany Fellowship in England and were overwhelmed by the vibrant worship in the congregation, that felt like heaven. There the dream was born to carry the spirit of worship back to Germany and the whole movement. After finishing high school and following a call into full time ministry, I worked in a mission company for a year. Shortly after, for 4 months I travelled all across the USA, aiming to explore the worship culture in the churches of the Vineyard movement and searching for ways to live out my own calling.
A few years later - together with my bride-to-be Anja - I would return to the States for 6 months to study at the University Of The Nations from Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Kona/Hawaii. This is where I had my initial contact with the Integrity label, participating as a singer in the studio recording of American worship veteran Bob Fitts.
In 1990 my first worship album was released in Germany. Twelve more would follow over the next sixteen years. At the age of 20, I was hired to lead worship at a new church plant in Hamburg. A few years later I left the job to study sociology, theology and pop music at universities in Hamburg and Frankfurt, always being on the road at the same time to teach on worship conferences and seminars and to lead worship and play concerts.
Altogether I played more than 1.500 concerts, seminars, conferences, Sunday services and other ministry related events. Travelling on the wings of worship has brought me to Japan, the USA, France, Belgium, Holland, England, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden ever since, sharing stage with the likes of Michael W. Smith, Paul Colman, Graham Kendrick, Noel Richards, Tim Hughes, Matt Redman, Reuben Morgan, Brian Doerksen, David Ruis, delirious?, Tom Lane, Rebecca St. James, Newsboys, Yfriday, Larry Norman, Glenn Kaiser, Kutless, Bethany Dillon, Sarah Kelly, Lothar Kosse, Albert Frey or Norm Strauss, just to mention a few.
In 1994 my first worship album of European format was released, when Steve Thompson, producer and musical director of English worship pioneer Graham Kendrick, agreed to produce my album in England.
In 1997 I started to get involved in music production myself, co-producing with secular and popular German guitarist Uli Kringler, who three years later became a Christian on a worship tour, that took my worship band and a few other fellow worship artists to 10 cities all across the country in 2000. The year before I had accepted the job as Head of A&R and house producer for Pop & Praise and Worship in what soon would become Germanys leading Christian record company, Gerth Media. Besides signing artists and overseeing international distribution, I continued to produce worship albums for the label, being signed there as an artist myself. I have produced thirty CDs so far, working with dozens of national and international top notch musicians. Especially the series In Love with Jesus was a major influence in an emerging young German worship culture in the last years.
With a musical variety from Rock to Pop, Jazz and Chillout as a producer, I have always tried to stay faithful to an eclectic mix of rock and singer/songwriter elements in my own worship recordings, loving the musical likes of Sting, U2, Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman just to mention a few - but trying not to copy their style.
Being an educated songwriter for more than 25 years, who later became an experienced arranger and studio owner, my major focus and heart emphasis remains to educate, equip and resource the worshipping church with music that is intimate and passionate in nature and will bridge the gap to an ever changing church in post modern times. In recent recordings one dominant theme is the beauty of creation as an expression of Gods unchanging creativity, beauty and greatness.
We need to learn afresh to marvel at and stand in awe of the wonders of His hands. In the worshipping church today, God is sometimes portrayed more a buddy from next door then the Almighty and ever present God. To love God with all your heart means to stand in awe of him or ly prostrate at the same time. There is no need to be afraid of God, but that doesnt mean we should not fear him, or treat him like the guy from next door. Worship him with your whole heart, your full devotion and your entire life, and if necessary, use music
Together with my band, a community of six close friends, who are heartfelt worshippers and very experienced in educating musicians, I love to travel all around to equip and challenge churches - to rediscover and profess their first love for an unchanging God. As part of this endeavour we are frequent teachers in the Worship Academy in the Black Forest in Germany - a school that is educating more then 2.500 German and Swiss church musicians in worship related areas.
With my wife Anja and our young children Tim and Sara, I live in the centre of Germany near Frankfurt. Involved in a local Foursquare church there for almost twelve years now, I have established a regional worship event called Ichthys Worship Night, that six times a year is drawing a couple of hundred worshippers for an evening of praise and adoration. Though being the initiator and visionary, I try to continue to invest in emerging local worship artists, giving them a platform to grow into their calling, while together with pastor Jens Mankel securing the overall vision and direction.
It is my conviction that it..s not healthy to be a worship artist on the road, who visits a church for a couple of hours and leaves before anybody can even get to know him personally. You can only do that if you are at the same time involved in a local church. That is were you live and learn on a weekly basis. This is the place that will give your ministry credibility and authority.
Worship always needs to be an expression of faith, that transfers into society, if it does not want to become shallow. We need to take Jesus serious and be to the least of these what we are called to be unto him. You cant love God and not care for the ones in need. On the other hand our love for each other will feed our overt love for God!
All the mentioned activities have led me to eventually cutting down severe hours in the record company and giving away some responsibilities there. Change was due for January 2007.
It is wonderful to be involved in the Christian music industry. It helps significantly to spread the Good News in a modern and relevant universal language. But I need to be true to my calling first. A worship leader has the responsibility of being a Levite. He needs time to discover God and translate eternal truth into songs and words that will last and help worshippers to express their hearts in adoration. I can do a lot of things but miss out on what is most important. So the more gifted you are the more focus you need. And I cannot recall a season in twenty six years of being a Christian, where God has spoken to me so clearly and distinctly I have no choice but to follow where he leads. This is very exciting and yet a little frightening. But I rather want to walk a road that I do not know, than miss out on His well designed plan for my life. And I cannot wait to be on the road again more frequently to equip the saints for passionate and sincere worship of the living God.
Ministry opportunities include worship seminars, both on theology and musical skills, worship nights, leading worship on conferences and church retreats, worship ministry including teaching in church services etc. Being able to travel alone as well as accompanied by a 2-, 3-, 4- or 6-piece band suits different group seizes and financial budgets.
As a guitarist, I endorse Taylor acoustic guitars, Hiwatt amps and Elixir Strings. Check those products out, they are all A class!!!
Beside my musical duties, I..m one of two German musical ambassadors for WORLD VISION, an organization that helps millions of underprivileged people and especially children in the poorer regions of this planet.
If Adam had never sinned in the Garden of Eden, would he still have died? If death came by sin and Jesus Christ defeated sin on the cross, what happened to death? In I Curse Death, author Donnell Duncan boldly answers these questions and many more. The message is simple: man was designed by God to be immortal and only lost that gift by falling into sin. Duncan demonstrates with scripture that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ restored this gift to all those who believe..
Please support our group by watching this video. Our family has begun to document our lives as we try to make it in the music industry. If you have a youtube account, then please comment on "Life with the Barrs." It is very funny and will entertain you.
I am currently involved in a project whereby I am seeking christian women, young and old with remarkable, true stories of their salvation and journeys with Christ.
There is a need for us to accept and love who we are, faults and all. It's all about being real and removing the mask that prevents us from enjoying the profound, intimate relationships with each other and God that He so desires. Every one of us struggles with issues, past hurts and pain. But there is NO SHAME, NO CONDEMNATION, only FREEDOM in your testimony!
A selection of stories will be part of a forthcoming book that will be published on the subject of "Removing The Mask" as well as workshops.
If you feel led to get involved and share your true stories then please reply to - realwomen@faithmessage.com http://realwomen.ning.com
Arne, You must be very busy..I've enjoyed your music tremendously and will stop by again soon. God has been very good to you and I pray He will open many more doors for you... In Christ, Kathryn
Your music and all you do throughout the nations Arne is a blessing to all from God. May you be very blessed! You too enjoy your summer. Hugs Stacielane.
