DEUS EX MUSICA

Julian DeShazier is a pastor, writer, and community activist, as well as a hip-hop artist recording under the moniker J.Kwest. He stops by the podcast to talk about his work in the secular music industry, his new EP, and hip-hop's prophetic power.

Internationally-known orchestral conductor Delta David Gier talks about faith, musical interpretation, and his commitment to community engagement. 

Creative dynamo James Dargan – baritone, composer, violinist, concert producer and writer – talks about how his faith has inspired his multi-faceted work as a musicians advocating for social justice and racial equality.

Acclaimed tenor Isai Jess Muñoz discusses how his upbringing in a Latin American Pentecostal church led to his career on the operatic stage, as well as how his faith has inspired his work on topics as diverse as Latin American Protestant worship music and sacred music drama.

Renowned Biblical scholar and popular blogger James McGrath discusses his new project exploring musical interpretations of the Bible, and how he has used music from a wide variety of genres to teach students and laypeople about the Scriptures in thought-provoking and spiritually valuable ways.

Pastor, theologian, and singer Aric Flemming – who records at Aric B. – talks about his music, his faith, and the ways he navigates the complexities of a career as both as minster and an R&B artist.

Acclaimed as both a classical soprano and a scholar working on the theology of music, Awet Andemicael discusses the challenges of presenting artistically compelling and spiritually honest performances of sacred music in secular concert settings.

Ryan Turner, Artistic Director of Emmanuel Music in Boston, discusses the nexus between his own faith and the music of J.S. Bach, with particular focus on the ways listening to the cantatas can provide spiritual nourishment and understanding.

Today’s interview features Margaret Felice, a Roman Catholic musician known for both her work as an operatic soprano and as a writer on issues related to faith and music.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Latin American composers Josh Rodriguez and Xavier Beteta discuss the challenges of writing contemporary sacred music, exploring Beteta’s new Psalm setting and Piano Concerto “Thomás de Merlo” inspired by stolen sacred paintings in Guatemala.

Roman Catholic theologian and songwriter Maeve Louise Heaney talks about her life as an educator, missionary, and scholar, and introduces us to her unique understanding of how music can contribute to the work of theology.

In this wide-ranging conversation, jazz musician, scholar, and preacher Julian Reid discusses how music helps us understand the theological concept of grace, why the contemporary church needs to embrace songs of lament, and the overlapping roles of musicians and preacher in the Black church.

Scholar, author, and church musician Sarah Bereza discusses the various ways Christians understand how music functions in worship, as well as the challenges faced by music minsters as they strive to integrate their public ministry and private faith.

Renowned choral conductor Scott Allan Jarrett talks about the significance of music-making as a means of community-building, and about how the music of Bach has enriched his own faith.

Boston Symphony Orchestra flutist Elizabeth Ostling discusses her life as an orchestral musician, her academic study in theology, and her fascination with the music of French Catholic composer Olivier Messiaen.

The Rev. Dr. Mark Harvey, founder of the Aardvark Jazz Ensemble, talks about his 40-year journey as a jazz musician and minister, his commitment to musical outreach and social justice, and his live for the sacred jazz of Duke Ellington.