Experience Forefront from anywhere.

We went virtual for 2020. In the replay from the event, learn from accomplished creators how to pursue authentic faith and excellent art in your favorite medium.

What do all the featured artists have in common? They're all Christians who do excellent work in their fields and are eager to share their art and ideas with others.

Instant Access available now.

 
Learn something new.
The event opens with a foundational keynote by Nate Morgan Locke about story.
 
Connect with fellow creators.
Watch topic-specific breakout sessions with accomplished artists.
 

Experience music.

Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Joy Ike performs at the end of the event.

Opening Keynote

Nate Morgan Locke
Nate Morgan Locke is a reformed mythologist and expert on story. He co-created Life Explored and has written other resources for Christianity Explored Ministries. He is the featured speaker on the podcast Popcorn Parenting and a frequent guest on Cooper & Cary Have WordsHe is part of the team behind Meet the Nativity and co-authored A Very Different ChristmasHe is studying at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

Breakout Sessions

Nate Morgan Locke follows up his keynote with a special Q&A breakout session.

Additional breakout sessions (some video, some audio-only):

Melanie Penn

Melanie Penn writes pop songs at the crossroads of faith and culture. After studying classical voice, she moved to New York City and pursued musical theatre where she enjoyed several years as a mainstay in New York City’s theater scene. For many years Melanie also served as a worship leader at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, under the leadership of author and theologian Tim Keller. Called “a New York songwriter in an age of skepticism,” Melanie is in the process of releasing her 5th album, More Alive.

She leads a breakout that explores what God says about us as creatives, contrasted with what we say about ourselves.

Dr. Benjamin Myers

Benjamin Myers was the 2015-2016 Poet Laureate of the State of Oklahoma. He is the author of three books of poetry and of numerous essays and scholarly articles. 

He runs a breakout on incarnational diction: bridging the distance between word and thing, choosing language in writing that refers back to the incarnational nature of our Christian faith.

Kaynenn Parker

Kaynenn Parker is a pastor of Pillar Church in Fort Worth, TX. He has a passion for community engagement and a desire to see the church equipped to be culture shapers for the glory of God and the enrichment of its residents. He is a talented spoken word artist.

He leads an interview-style breakout session where he'll discuss cultural engagement and rap music.

Sasha Hallock

Sasha Hallock is a contemporary abstract painter living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Geometric forms, vibrant colors, odd textures and sculptural landscapes populate Hallock’s paintings. Hallock utilizes a unique abstract language to express themes of play, joy and faith. Hallock has participated in group shows in New York City, Kansas City, and Fort Collins, Colorado.

He leads a breakout about the tension between abstract art and subject-focused work, and how that's affected by being a Christian artist.

Delvyn Case (Deus Ex Musica)

Delvyn Case is a composer, conductor, performer, and educator who is committed to exploring the power of music to impact communities on the local, regional, and national levels. He is currently Associate Professor of Music at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where he teaches courses in composition, theory, songwriting, and popular music, and conducts the Great Woods Symphony Orchestra.

He is co-director of Deus-Ex-Musica, an initiative that brings musicians, pastors, and non-musicians together for concerts and conversations about the intersection of faith and new music.

He runs a breakout with Josh Rodriguez in which participants hear, analyze and discuss original pieces of music based on the psalms.

Josh Rodriguez (Deus Ex Musica)

Known for his energetic rhythms, rich harmonic language, and striking colors, Josh Rodriguez continues to gain recognition as an emerging composer on a national and international scale. Born in Argentina and raised in Guatemala and Mexico, Rodriguez's musical imagination has been formed by the colors and cultures of his childhood. Perhaps equally formative, however, was his love of stories: in particular the mutually enriching partnership of music and film.

He currently serves at the Collinsworth School of Music at California Baptist University as Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition, and is co-director of Deus-Ex-Musica, an initiative that brings musicians, pastors, and non-musicians together for concerts and conversations about the intersection of faith and new music.

He runs a breakout with Delvyn Case in which participants hear, analyze and discuss original pieces of music based on the psalms.

Victoria Moore
Victoria Moore is a music therapist for Upstate Music Therapy Center in Rochester, New York. She also plays the saxophone, piano, and writes her own music during her free time. Victoria has a passion for sharing the love of Christ with others through building authentic relationships and music. She leads an engaging and interactive breakout session on music therapy.

Closing Music Performance

Joy Ike

Singer/songwriter Joy Ike paints with a broad palette that defies easy categorization. The Nigerian-American, Philadelphia, PA-based artist crafts music at turns soaring and plaintive, draped around a voice all dusky suede. Ike garnered praise from the likes of NPR's All Things Considered, who called her “...a voice and talent beyond her years,” and SoulBounce which described her music as “...a sensational slice of urgent piano-soul.” Live, she has shared the stage with Cody Chestnut, Allen Toussaint, Butterfly Boucher, and more. Drawn to both down-tempo folk and indie rock as well as mainstream pop, Ike writes from a place of purity, following her muse to create art that speaks from the soul.

She performs the closing concert at Forefront Festival: Virtual.

Instant Access is a suggested donation of just $10.

If you're already a monthly donor, or if donating in any way causes you hardship, you can receive access for FREE. We want everyone to get to experience the sessions from this special event.