Stephanie Childers-White

About-Stephanie Childers-White

Stephanie Childers-White is a B3 Hammond Organ Artist and she is so grateful to be welcomed into the Hammond Family in 2026. She is a powerhouse vocalist, musician, and sonic architect whose sound transcends through Jazz, Gospel, CCM, R&B, Vocal Jazz, Neo‑Soul, and Opera. With over three decades in the game, she’s worn almost every title on the stage and in the sanctuary—organist, pianist, keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, music director, praise and worship leader, choral and mass choir director.

Her story doesn’t start under spotlights; it starts in the house, where Aunt Rona and Cousin Dawn showed her how to pull melodies by ear. From there she turned her backyard into her first concert hall—stick in hand as a mic, freestyling songs off the top, giving full‑out concerts to an imagined crowd long before the world heard her name.

Born and raised in the Church of God M.P.G.T. in Akron, Ohio, Stephanie grew up in a thick cloud of gospel sound. By eight she debuted her first solo; not long after she was getting classical piano lessons with Sharron Smith, and by thirteen she was playing the keys in service while soaking up heavy organ flavor from her organ mentor Terrence Duncan. Her grind stayed relentless at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts—sharpening her voice with choir director Sarah Kaufman and elevating her piano sound with Esterleen Jones—then she leveled up at Firestone High School under choral mastermind Sally Schneider. At the University of Akron, she slammed her artistry into overdrive, studying piano with Dr. Gary Graining, opera with Dr. Laurie Lashbrook, choral music with Dr. Samuel Gordon, jazz piano with Rock Wehrmann and Joe Augustine, and jazz improvisation with Jack Schantz, sealing it all with a hard‑earned Bachelor’s Degree in Choral Music Education in 2010.

For 32 years, Stephanie has been a living instrument in churches across the country—music artist, minister of music, psalmist, director, mentor, songwriter, organist, keyboardist, clinician, and pianist—bringing a sound that cuts through genres, generations, and denominations. She’s known for her ability to “flow in the moment,” shifting lanes mid‑song and building a worship atmosphere that pulls people into healing, joy, peace, and wholeness. She also leads a workshop that trains psalmists and minstrels to minister from the heart instead of just the head, unlocking a deep, authentic, Spirit‑led flow.

Her gift has carried her from neighborhood sanctuaries to international platforms—clubs, churches, and organizations across the U.S. and abroad, including in Gabon, Africa. She has toured Italy delivering gospel, jazz, opera, and choral music with the University of Akron Concert Choir under Dr. Samuel Gordon and alsoThe Gospel Pearls under Ronald Hubbard.

Stephanie once served as the Music Director at the 4,000‑member Allegheny Center Alliance Church (ACAC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, shaping five services every week. She commanded a massive worship ecosystem—choir, orchestra, four worship bands, four worship teams, and eleven worship leaders—fusing structure, soul, and spirit into one unified voice.

Now back in Akron, Stephanie serves as organist, youth orchestra ensemble director, keyboardist, worship leader, and more at Arlington Church of God. She also is the minister of music at New Millennium House of Prayer and pours into young creatives as a music educator in the Akron Public Schools, raising up a new wave of musicians and worshipers with excellence and fire.

In 2019, Stephanie linked up with the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) and was asked to showcase her original song “Jehovah Is My Rock,” co-written with legendary singer‑songwriter Babbie Mason. She premiered it at the New Music Seminar during the international GMWA convention in Washington, D.C., then hit the main stage as lead soloist, organist, bandleader, and producer—making history as the organist for the first all‑female band in the GMWA Men’s Division.

In 2024, she unleashed her original anthem “Hosanna in the Highest Reigns” with the GMWA Men’s Division under the leadership of Walter Schrutchings and Raymond Hinton, teaching it, performing it, and directing it on their national stage. In 2025, that same anthem roared again when she taught and directed it with the Mass Choir at the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (NCGCC), also known as the Thomas Dorsey Convention, once again owning the national spotlight.

That same year, Stephanie stepped into a cross‑genre moment with the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the University of Akron Jazz Ensemble for the Carnegie Hall Partnership Program “The Orchestra Swings,” fusing her multi‑genre signature sound with a full symphonic and jazz engine behind her.

As CEO of True Sound School of Music (TSSM), Stephanie runs a creative lab for worshipers and musicians—a place where worship, music theory, and multi‑instrument mastery collide. True Sound exists to sharpen the gifts and ministries of worship leaders, psalmists, minstrels, musicians, and music directors, with one mission: to raise up high‑impact worshipers and ministers who advance the Kingdom with authenticity, boldness, and excellence.

Offstage, Stephanie is joyfully married to Eric M. White, a respected business executive and conference speaker, and together they are the proud parents of Judah—a natural‑born worshiper and minstrel‑in‑training already catching the fire.

You can stay connected with Stephanie, follow her journey, or bring her sound to your next event by visiting her links below:

Stephanie Childers-White is a powerhouse vocalist, musician, and sonic architect whose sound transcends through Jazz, Gospel, CCM, R&B, Vocal Jazz, Neo‑Soul, and Opera. With over three decades in the game, she’s worn almost every title on the stage and in the sanctuary—organist, pianist, keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, music director, praise and worship leader, choral and mass choir director.