Our Mission
Sonbranch Music exists to introduce people to Jesus Christ who do not know Him, and to help believers go deeper with God, through beautiful, authentic and inspiring music. In doing so, we desire to help talented Christian artists share their musical gifts with the world.
Who We Are
Eric Sohlgren, founder of Sonbranch Music, has had a passion for music since an early age. Raised by a musical mother and electronic engineer father, he took up the clarinet in elementary school and alto sax in junior high, going on to perform in symphonic, jazz and rock ensembles through college. He toured with a seven-piece jazz rock group before pursuing other careers, which left his musical gifts dormant for many years.
Many years later Eric was asked play the sax solo on a worship song during a church service. After struggling to relearn the sax, he was invited to join the worship team and since then has played saxophones, clarinet and whistles at contemporary and traditional church services and conferences. Since worship music is rarely arranged for woodwinds, Eric composed parts to play. He then began writing worship music as an offering to God during difficult times in his life, finding solace and comfort in prayers set to music. He continued to write as he was inspired by scripture and his life’s journey.
Now a producer, engineer, composer and talented musician, Eric's artistic vision has been to bridge traditional and contemporary styles of worship music with diverse instrumentation, rich arrangements, and spiritually engaging words to draw people closer to God. He loves collaborating with other gifted musicians who have a heart for authentic worship music, and helping them share their God-given talents with the world.
In 2021, Eric was ordained as a pastor. He serves at The Gate Christian Bible Church in Mission Viejo, California on the worship team and as Executive Pastor.
Eric loves taking early morning walks with his dog Fletch, an energetic McNab Shepherd, who loves to hang out in the studio when music is being created.
The son of a minister, John Andrew Schreiner began picking out tunes on the piano at age three and by his early teen years was regularly playing keyboards at his father’s church. Since then he has gone on to build an impressive career as a musician, composer, arranger and producer, including collaborations with numerous Christian and mainstream artists.
John has produced and arranged projects and songs for many well-known Christian artists, including Fernando Ortega, Bryan Duncan, Marie Barnett, Carman and Crystal Lewis. He has also played and arranged music for CeCe Winans, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Third Day, and many more. John has produced or written seven number one songs on Inspirational Radio, winning the 2001 ASCAP Christian Music Award for "This Good Day.” His work producing, arranging and playing for many world-renowned mainstream artists is equally impressive. His talents have been expressed in television and film, and in 2010 he won an Emmy Award for composition.
John has dedicated his career to discovering, nurturing and creating music that authentically expresses faith without regard to prevailing fads. He has a heart for worshipful and engaging music that brings comfort to hurting people.
David DeRaita is a gifted vocalist, pianist, composer, and worship leader. David toured professionally with TuneSmith, a Santa Barbara-based group, for 12 years. He has 30 years of experience as a musician at Vineyard churches and The Gate Christian Bible Church in Mission Viejo, California.
A prolific songwriter, David regularly shares new worship music with his church family. His beautiful and soulful baritone voice, often compared to Lou Rawls, is a perfect fit for his songs that draw influences from modern and traditional worship music, jazz, blues, and country gospel. On top of his musical gifts, David is a genuine and kind person with a witty sense of humor.