Jillian Nordberg: Using Her Voice, Helping Others Find Theirs

At 8 years old with a ukulele in hand that was nearly the size of herself, Jillian Nordberg stood outside of her father’s downtown gallery and played for whoever happened to come by. A dozen years and countless gigs later, the Cody, Wyoming-born-and-raised musician has extended her musical talents from street performance favorite genres such as country and folk, to choir and state jazz stages and quiet worship at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.

Today, Nordberg is more than a local street performer. She’s a high school jazz standout, worship leader, and aspiring speech-language pathologist who is learning how to balance a deep love of music with a calling to serve others.

In her freshman year of high school, Nordberg had moved into Synergy, the advanced choir, and had been the only female her age. Working alongside her teammates, she had been personally selected to participate in the state Jazz Choir all 3 years of her high school career.

Both Nordberg’s choir competition, as well as her gigs often led to her traveling and playing alongside famous artists and singers.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Anthony Smith who writes for artists such as George Strait, Cody Johnson, and Trisha Yearwood,” Nordberg said. “I also worked with Lacy J. Dalton a few years ago, who was a famous country singer in the 80’s.”

All before the age of 18, she has opened for Trent Tominson at Cassie’s, and toured with Juliette Angelo, songwriter and American actress best known for her roles as Emily Fornell on NCIS and Geneva on Shameless.

With her last year in high school quickly approaching, Nordberg has since decided to pursue a degree in speech language pathology while remaining in the music scene on the side.

“I always struggled with whether or not I wanted to pursue music commercially, and over the past year and a half, I had decided that I want a more simple life where I can also serve others—life is too short to not serve other people and show them love in that way.” Nordberg said.

On the side of her summer gigs, Jillian has been leading worship nights at Cody’s local Catholic church, St. Anthony’s, singing, praying and worshiping as a community.

“I’ve been serving at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church for a little while now, with a wonderful group of women, and it’s been really great having the opportunity to use my voice in a way that serves rather than something that benefits myself,” Nordberg said. “It’s definitely connected our church community in a lot of ways, which has been very valuable and overall a really great experience.”

Jillian Nordberg, though mostly known through her street performances, has grown into a versatile artist who sees music not as a route for fame, but as a tool for connection. As she finishes up high school and begins preparing for her next step into speech-language pathology, she carries forward a clear mission: using her voice, and helping others find theirs, to serve the community that raised her.

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