Welcome to recordings from the 2017 Festival of Faith & Music. The biennial festival brings together musicians, critics, journalists, artists, and listeners for three days of concerts, lectures, and conversations that explore the intersection of music and spirituality.

What follows is a panel on the role of artists in politically fraught times. Participants include Dr. Daniel White Hodge Director of the Center for Youth Ministry Studies at North Park University in Chicago. David Bazan a musician from Seattle perhaps best know as the chief creative force behind the band Pedro the Lion. Billy Mark, a poet, musician, and performance artist living in Detroit, he was the 2015 Kresge Fellow for experimental poetry. Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma, editor-in-chief of Topology magazine, moderates the conversation, recorded on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 1st, 2017. A note to our listeners: some language and content may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Thank you to everyone who spoke or performed or attended the 2017 Festival of Faith & Music. These recordings were produced in collaboration between the Student Activities Office at Calvin College and the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing. You can find more recordings from the 2017 Festival of Faith & Music and short films from the festival concerts at ccfw.calvin.edu.