1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Join this excursion through compositional method, use of text, melodic creation, vocal range, and inner insights. The session includes the presentation of new psalm settings by Rawn Harbor.
This panel considers the psalms as a source of artistic and theological engagement, exploring how musicians and songwriters draw from these ancient texts to navigate the emotional complexity of the human experience. Through diverse musical approaches and cultural perspectives, the panelists will consider how the psalms continue to resonate in modern contexts by offering language for lament and praise, shaping liturgical practice, and fostering resilience in both personal and communal experience.
A Psalm Talk by Rawn Harbor with musical pieces with a visual prayer and embodied response led by Dea Jenkins.
Psalm Festival Worship led by Jared Alcántara; Vinroy D. Brown Jr.; Bellwether Arts; Karen Campbell; Calvin University’s Capella choir, directed by Mark Stover; Calvin University’s Gospel Choir, led by Nate Glasper; Celtic Psalms; and Rawn Harbor; with artwork by Joel Schoon-Tanis
Morning Worship led by staff of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, with Psalm Talks by Terry M. Wildman and Darlene Wildman, Karen Campbell, and Rawn Harbor, and artistic responses by Dea Jenkins and Joel Schoon-Tanis.
Musicians who lead worship are not merely performers, directors, coordinators, or music industry peddlers. We are primarily pastoral people—priestly leaders who shape the prayers and acclamations of God’s people.
Explore musical settings of the biblical Psalms shaped by a black gospel idiom, the power of call-and-response approaches to singing, and a deep commitment to engage the full congregation in singing as prompted by soloists or choirs.
