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Baylor University’s School of Music will host the Black Worship Festival, held Feb. 23-28, bringing 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 will welcome 10-time Grammy Award-winning producer and composer Kevin Bond, alongside the internationally acclaimed Nathaniel Dett Chorale and a landmark performance of The Hosea Oratorio: A Gospel Jazz Hip‑Hop Spoken Word Fusion by Stephen Newby, D.M.A. 

Through concerts, lectures, worship experiences, community engagement and academic dialogue, the festival will highlight Baylor’s commitment to engagement, fostering global conversation, elevating historically underrepresented voices and advancing research and artistry in the study of Black worship traditions.

Hearn Innovator Series in Christian Music – Kevin Bond

Bond, a visionary whose work has shaped the sound and spirit of modern gospel and inspirational music for decades, will serve as this year’s Hearn Innovator in Christian Music. His residency offers Baylor students a rare opportunity to engage deeply with one of the most influential figures in the field, as he participates throughout the week in academic classes, public presentations, workshops, Q&A sessions and focused conversations on faith, artistry, creativity and vocation.

As part of his residency, Bond will make two key public appearances:

• Monday, Feb. 23, 2026 – Church Music Forum – Public Presentation
  6 p.m. at Recital Hall II, where he will share insights from his decades of work in gospel music, offering students and community members a rare window into his creative process and industry experience.
• Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026 – Devotional Musicianship Chapel
  10 a.m. at Roxy Grove Hall. In this chapel gathering, Bond will reflect on the spiritual dimensions of musicianship, exploring how faith, artistry and vocation intersect in the life of a Christian musician.

The Hosea Oratorio: A Gospel Jazz Hip-Hop Spoken Word Fusion 

The School of Music will present a landmark performance of The Hosea Oratorio: A Gospel Jazz Hip-Hop Spoken Word Fusion at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at Jones Concert Hall in the McCrary Music Building. A major original work more than a decade in the making by Baylor’s Stephen Newby, D.M.A. the oratorio is scored for choir, soloists, rhythm section and string quartet, blending concert music, jazz, spoken word, hip hop, funk and gospel into a vibrant retelling of the Old Testament story of Hosea and Gomer. Newby is the Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship, professor of music and ambassador for the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University.

The multilayered performance will feature the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Canada’s first professional choral ensemble dedicated to Afrocentric music, along with two narrators – Raymond Wise, Ph.D., professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies and director of the African American Choral Ensemble at Indiana University, and Stevener Gaskin, D. Min., director of intercultural arts & media at Wheaton College – who will share the narrative role. The evening will incorporate performances by Baylor’s Jazz trio and graduate string quartet, led by Marcello Boccato Kyumjian, D.M.A., lecturer of Jazz Studies. 

For Baylor University, hosting the Chorale reflects a deep commitment to its expanded motto, Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo (For the Church, For Texas, For the World), demonstrating the University’s dedication to engagement, research excellence and educational leadership as a Christian community with a global reach. Their visit is part of the Lilly Endowment-funded expansion of the Black Gospel Archive, and serves as both an academic engagement and a cultural bridge, strengthening relationships, expanding visibility and deepening the impact of the work happening at Baylor.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.

ABOUT THE BAYLOR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC 

Celebrating more than a century of musical excellence, the Baylor University School of Music offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs serving approximately 350 students and presenting more than 300 performances each year, including the nationally televised production, A Baylor Christmas. Recognized for its high academic standards, the School is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. In addition to its enrolled majors, the School of Music serves musical opportunities to more than 1,200 students across the Baylor campus. As part of a Christian research university, the School of Music integrates faith, artistry and scholarship – preparing students to become whole musicians and thoughtful leaders who pour into communities, elevate culture and serve the world through their art. Visit the School of Music website to learn more.