Pro Mundo Black Worship Festival

The Black Worship Festival, held February 23–28, brought together artists, scholars, students, and community members for a week-long celebration of Black sacred music, creativity, and cultural exchange. Anchored by the Hearn Innovator Series in Christian Music, the festival welcomed 10-time Grammy Award–winning producer and composer Kevin Bond, the week then featured the internationally acclaimed Nathaniel Dett Chorale in a landmark performance of The Hosea Oratorio: A Gospel Jazz Hip Hop Spoken Word Fusion by Dr. Stephen Newby. Through concerts, lectures, worship experiences, community engagement, and academic dialogue, the festival highlighted Baylor’s commitment to Pro Mundo engagement, fostering global conversation, elevating historically underrepresented voices, and advancing research and artistry in the study of Black worship traditions

Hearn Innovator Series with Kevin Bond

Kevin Bond is a 10‑time Grammy Award–winning producer, composer, and music industry visionary whose work has shaped the sound and spirit of modern gospel and inspirational music. His influence spans decades, and his creative leadership has helped define the careers of countless artists while expanding the reach of gospel music around the world.

During his visit to Baylor’s campus, Kevin engaged deeply with church music students through a wide range of learning environments. The Hearn Residency was designed to foster meaningful, personal interaction between students and leading artists in the field. Throughout the week, Kevin participated in guest lectures within academic classes, offered public presentations and led smaller, more intimate Q&A conversations, and focused discussions on creativity and vocation.

As part of his residency, Kevin made two key public appearances:

Church Music Forum – Public Presentation
Monday, February 23 in Recital Hall II

Kevin shared insights from his decades of work in gospel music, offering students and community members a rare window into his creative process and industry experience.

Music Chapel – Devotional Musicianship
Tuesday, February 24 at 10:00 AM in Roxy Grove Hall

In this chapel gathering, Kevin reflected on the spiritual dimensions of musicianship, exploring how faith, artistry, and vocation intersected in the life of a Christian musician.

Beyond these public events, students had the opportunity to share meals with Kevin and hear directly from his unique perspective on music creation, collaboration, and the evolving landscape of gospel and inspirational music. His presence on campus offered an invaluable experience for emerging church musicians and made a meaningful contribution to Baylor’s ongoing commitment to artistic excellence and spiritual formation.

Hosea Oratorio

On Sunday, February 28th, the Baylor School of Music presented a landmark performance of The Hosea Oratorio: A Gospel Jazz Hip-Hop Spoken Word Fusion. This original work by Stephen Newby, Lev. Pritchard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship, was a major original composition more than a decade in the making. The project began in 2014, and in 2019 an early version of the piece was workshopped. This presentation offered the most robust and fully realized rendering of the oratorio to date, featuring the Nathaniel Dett Chorale.

The Hosea Oratorio was scored for choir, soloists, rhythm section, and string quartet, creating a vivid and stylistically diverse musical landscape. Audiences experienced a compelling blend of classic concert music, jazz, spoken word, hip hop, funk, and gospel. The work drew directly from the Old Testament book of Hosea, tracing the story of Hosea and Gomer as a powerful metaphor for God’s relationship with humanity. The performance walked closely through the biblical text, illuminating themes of faithfulness, heartbreak, redemption, and steadfast love across its approximately fifty-minute run time.

The event also featured compositions by Raymond Wise and Stevener Gaskin provided the spoken word portion of the oratorio, bringing clarity and immediacy to the unfolding story. The evening also incorporated performances by Dr. Marcello Boccato Kyumjian’s jazz trio and a graduate string quartet, adding further depth and color to the musical experience.

About the Nathaniel Dett Chorale

The visit of the Nathaniel Dett Chorale to the United States represented a moment of real cultural and artistic significance. As the premier ensemble dedicated to the legacy of R. Nathaniel Dett, often regarded as the dean of the African American concert music tradition, their presence offered a rare opportunity for audiences to engage directly with a lineage of music that continued to shape the global artistic landscape. Their visit was especially meaningful in that moment, when conversations about heritage, identity, and artistic equity were more important than ever.

For Baylor University, this collaboration reflected a deep commitment to Pro Mundo engagement, research excellence, and educational leadership. Hosting the Chorale aligned with the University’s mission to foster global dialogue, elevate historically underrepresented voices, and support scholarship that bridged artistry, culture, and community.

Before the Visit

In the week leading up to their U.S. appearance, Dr. Stephen Newby was in Toronto working directly with the Chorale and its surrounding community. His visit included:

• Lecturing on African American sacred music in the public square, offering historical, theological, and cultural context for audiences and students.
• Participating in a university-based event where he presented on the significance and evolution of African American sacred traditions.
• Supporting the Chorale as they performed The Hosea Oratorio in downtown Toronto, helping frame the work’s narrative and musical architecture for Canadian audiences.
• Joining members of the Black Gospel Archive (BGA) team, who were present to share about the archive’s mission, resources, and ongoing research initiatives.

This outreach was part of the Lilly-funded expansion of the BGA, and the team used this visit to highlight Baylor’s leadership in preserving, curating, and promoting the history of Black sacred music. The trip served as both an academic engagement and a cultural bridge, strengthening relationships, expanding visibility, and deepening the impact of the work taking place at Baylor.

Cross-Cultural Exchange During the Chorale’s Visit to Texas

While in Texas, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale participated in a series of meaningful cross-cultural engagements designed to connect their artistry with the broader Waco community. Their visit included:

• A visit to a local high school choral program, offering students the opportunity to learn directly from internationally recognized artists.
• Leadership in Sunday morning worship at First Baptist Church, Waco, bringing their unique musical heritage into a congregational setting.
• Conversations and demonstrations with Baylor music students, including visits to choir rehearsals where they shared insights into performance practice, cultural context, and the legacy of Dett’s work.

These interactions created a rich exchange of ideas, traditions, and artistic perspectives, strengthening ties between Canadian and American musical communities.

In Conclusion

Together, the events of the Black Worship Festival demonstrated the transformative power of Black sacred music as scholarship, artistry, and lived tradition. Through meaningful engagement with visionary artists, students and community members encountered music not only as performance, but as a catalyst for dialogue, formation, and cultural connection. From the Hearn Innovator Series with Kevin Bond to the cross‑cultural collaborations with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and the landmark presentation of The Hosea Oratorio, the festival affirmed Baylor University’s ongoing commitment to Pro Mundo engagement, advancing research, honoring legacy, and nurturing the next generation of leaders in the study and practice of Black worship traditions.