Christian singer-songwriter Nick Cardilino has been involved in music since childhood; yet he only started writing songs seriously in college, when he co-wrote two musicals that were produced at his church. As a recording artist, he has released four of his own albums, The Workings of Grace, More, Discover the Way and The Birthday of Love. As a songwriter, he has had songs featured on three songwriter compilation albums, had songs cut on albums by recording artists Alisha Lynn, Amplify, and Teresa Smith, and was part of two teams that won Tunesmith songwriting competitions in Nashville in 2005 and 2006. His biggest success to date is having a song he co-wrote with David Smith called “Discover the Way” chosen to be the theme song of the 2007 National Catholic Youth Conference, which he got to perform in front of 20,000 people, opening a floodgate of new fans. Dave and Nick have recently become the first songwriters to have won this theme song contest twice, this time for the 2011 NCYC, "Called to Glory." 

By day, Nick is a campus minister at the University of Dayton. "A lot of the inspiration for the songs I write comes from the experiences of the college students I work with," he says. He also works part time as a music minister and plays occasional church and coffeehouse gigs and wedding ceremonies. He also volunteers as one of the co-coordinators of the Songwriters Workshop.

Nick and his wife Anne Marie have been blessed with three children they are very proud of: Christopher, Mary Joy and Anne Marie. "My family is a great inspiration for many of my songs," Nick says. "More importantly, they understand when my head is in songwriting mode." 

"I used to hope that something I wrote would make me a lot of money, fame, and recognition. But the only thing that matters to me now is when people tell me that something I wrote touched them very deeply," Nick says. "If God uses this gift to help someone shed a healing tear or reminds someone to tell a friend, 'I love you,' or encourages someone to see a new aspect of our limitless Creator, then I think I've fulfilled my call."