Forefront 360

We're excited to share this breakout session led by Timothy Leaven, recorded at Forefront Festival '22: Making New. It's called Songwriting: Befriending Revision and Re-Writing Your Way to Better Lyrics. “Most strong songs are not written. They are re-written.” How does one press into the songwriting process after the initial spark has faded? How does one know when lyrics are developed enough? What tools are worth having in one’s back pocket while revising? Timothy Leaven will share from his ten years as a songwriter and re-writer, with Q&A afterward.

Nate and Rich talk to nature photographer Heather Morgigno about how to take great bird photos, whether photography "counts" as an art form, and how photography can proclaim the glory of God. Would you like to be the next guest on Forefront 360? Just head over to the Get Involved page and fill out the short form.

We're excited to share this breakout session led by Joy Ike, recorded at Forefront Festival '22: Making New. It's called The Birds & The Bees: Pollination in an Age of Politicization. In an era of political correctness, identity politics, and fear-based messaging, dealing in hope can feel daunting. What does cultural transformation look like in the middle of so much deterioration? If the Gospel is real and true, then surely there is a light at the end of this very long tunnel, right? Join Joy Ike as she shares reflections on how we can plant good seeds and watch them grow…how we can spread those wild (kingdom) oats and witness the abundant goodness of our God in the land of the living.

Cody, Rich and Nate talk about the stories that never die — the endless string of remakes, sequels and spinoffs that is occurring around each major sci-fi and fantasy property. This episode contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home.   Outline: 2:02 Topic intro 4:42 What are the elements a story continuation really needs? 9:14 Spoiler-filled review of Spider-Man: No Way Home 22:51 Stories you never thought could happen 29:18 What is a story that has been continued that should not have been? 42:58 What is a story that has not been continued that should have been? 51:14 Stories that are written to be contained 53:53 What currently announced story continuation are you most excited about? 1:00:15 Why do we refuse to let go of certain stories?  

Forefront board member Zack Osinski moderates a special on-stage interview at Forefront Festival '22, featuring singer/songwriter Joy Ike and painter & actor Brian Ferris.

Forefront Chairman Rich Christman interviews musician Jonathan Ogden. From delicate acoustic songs to jazz and hip-hop infused pop, Jonathan crafts musical soundscapes that invite the listener on a journey. With a background in graphic design, he is passionate about exploring the intersection of visual art and music to form a complete experience. Describing his songs as ‘prayers set to music’ he expresses his faith through psalm-like lyrics and sweeping, melodic instrumentation. Following the release of his beat tape, Twenty Four, and an acoustic EP, Songs From Home, Jonathan is now releasing singles and working towards his first full-length album, Future Forever.   Check out Jonathan's work: Jonathan Ogden Music Magnify Studio Sencha Rivers & Robots

Rev. Dr. David Kim delivers the opening keynote at Forefront Festival '22, titled The Critical Calling of Artists in Times of Darkness.

Nate and Rich give a preview of what's happening at Forefront Festival '22: Making New. Join us in Rochester, NY on Feb 19 for a vibrant festival of faith and art. Learn More / Get Tickets

Nate talks to singer/songwriter Timothy Leaven about songwriting, sourdough, sadness, and more.  Help crowdfund Tim's next album at kickstartleaven.com. Come see Tim (and many other incredible artists) at Forefront Festival 2022.

The 2021 Christmas Variety Show hosted by Forefront Festival and Why God Why, recorded in front of a live studio audience, is back for a second & final act. In this Act: Music from Victoria Moore's jazz combo A non-fiction story from Kyle Navratil Music from Timothy Leaven Plus, conversations with the artists about why Christmas still gives us hope.

Forefront Festival joins Why God Why for a special Christmas Variety Show, recorded in front of a live studio audience. In this Act: Music from The Noble Kind Music from Cottage Street Band Poetry from Ryan Diaz Music from Victoria Moore's jazz combo A short story from Cody Schweickert Plus, conversations with the artists about why Christmas still gives us hope.

Rich and Nate interview Eva Ting. Eva is the Director of Events and Programming at W83 Ministry Center, the home of Redeemer West Side Church that also serves as a community and cultural center on the Upper West Side of New York City. Her interests lie in cultivating spaces for community engagement and designing art experiences and events that invite the public to participate in thoughtful conversations as well as thoughtful action. Prior to her work at W83, Eva was the Public Programs Coordinator at Times Square Alliance, executing public art installations and events in one of the world’s most iconic urban places. Eva lived in Shanghai, China for several years and directed twocities, a gallery that specialized in contemporary craft and hosted music and cultural events, including a well-loved jazz performance series. Eva is a member of Christians in the Visual Arts and served as a board member.  In the episode we also mention Eva's new nonprofit, Here to Honor, and the video Nate produced for Goldenwood that

Rich and Cody interview poet Ryan Diaz. Ryan Diaz is a writer, poet, and theologian from Queens, NY. He holds a BA in History from St. Johns University and is completing a MA in Biblical Studies. His writing has appeared in publications like Transcendentals, Dappled Things, Ekstasis, and Premier Christianity. His first poetry book, For Those Wandering Along the Way, debuted in 2021. Ryan’s poetic work seeks to find the divine in the ordinary, the thin place where the transcendent and the mundane meet. His academic interests include the literature of J.R.R. Tolkien and the Inklings, the Christian Mystical tradition, and the relationship between Art and Faith. He currently lives in Queens, NY with his wife Janiece.

Forefront Chairman Rich Christman talks to Mike McDonald from BibleProject about the use of animation to help people understand Scripture. Mike McDonald works on cultivating awareness and creating strategic relationships with churches, organizations and other non-profits that are looking to use BibleProject Videos in their context. He also leads their Global Focus team which is working on localizing their videos into different languages. He previously spent 11 years leading a global development organization as well as serving on several boards for international organizations with compassion and justice missions. In a previous life, he owned and operated restaurants in Canada and the US, and still loves enjoying a great meal in new cities with his wife, Melissa.

In this special episode, Forefront director Nate Mancini talks to professor, author and speaker Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson. This episode was recorded with a live studio audience at the Imagination Redeemed conference in Colorado Springs. In the first half we discuss which of today’s authors give Jessica hope for the future of fiction literature, how artists should read books differently from others, how to build an online presence without losing your soul, and of course, how our faith drives us to excellence in the arts. The second half features virtual audience questions from authors such as Dr. Russell Moore, Dr. Karen Swallow Prior, Dr. Benjamin Myers, and Dr. Ralph C. Wood. Jessica Hooten Wilson is the Louise Cowan Scholar in Residence at the University of Dallas. She is the author of Giving the Devil his Due: Flannery O’Connor and The Brothers Karamazov, which received a 2018 Christianity Today Book of the Year Award in the Culture & the Arts; as well as two books on Walker Percy: The Search for Infl

Rich talks to composer Zac Tiessen about his surprising start in the music world, his inspiration, and his latest project Streams in the Wasteland.   Zac Tiessen is an international award-winning musician, composer and audio engineer based near Toronto, Canada. His innovative techniques and cinematic progressive music have been featured numerous times in the media and press (Guitar World Magazine, Toronto Star). Tiessen has been awarded multiple FACTOR Canada music grants for his original compositions as a solo artist. In addition to his two solo EPs and debut full-length original soundtrack album "Streams In The Wasteland," his composing credits include music for Netflix and Ubisoft (Playstation/Xbox). Endorsed by six guitar companies, including Canton Custom Instruments, Tiessen co-designed and released his signature eight string Canton electric guitar. He studied music theory, guitar performance, production (mixing/mastering) and film scoring through UCLA and Berklee College of Music, where he was awarde

In this lively episode, Cody, Rich and Nate explicate the Gospel themes (whether intentionally present or not) in Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings — and debate which tale best evokes the beauty of the Great Story.

Rich and Dan talk to Adam Bannister, the founder of the band Songs for Revival and a full time missionary with Inca Link. He is currently serving in Honduras to raise worship leaders and assist youth programs until August 2021. Afterwards, he will be moving to the mountains of Guatemala to serve as a worship leader. Songs for Revival was born in January 2020 during a trip to Guatemala. Adam was unsure of his next steps after college, but he had recently begun writing music for the first time. He was inspired by the words of the Gospel of Luke, and by January 2020, he'd written 17 of the 20 songs of what would become the first album, It Is Finished. Songs for Revival consists of six members: Adam Bannister, Brooke Bannister, Katie Shaw Ficker, Giovanna Johnson, Mollie Landman, and Peter Stauffer. Over the past year they have continued to write and share their music and see the Lord bring healing, joy, and revival through the singing of His Word. They will be releasing an album telling the story of Moses late

Forefront chairman Rich Christman talks to artist Josh Tiessen. Born in 1995 in Moscow, Russia, Josh Tiessen is an international award-winning artist based near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, He was listed as one of the world’s top ten prodigy artists (Huffington Post) and recognized as the only known male art prodigy in North America (Dr. J. Ruthsatz, international child prodigy expert). His hyperreal shaped oil paintings, which take up to 1700 hours to complete, reflect the interaction between the natural world and human-made structures, drawing upon his studies in philosophy, theology and intercultural aesthetics. Click here to learn about or preorder Josh's new book, Streams in the Wasteland.

At a recent Forefront virtual event, we screened the short film "Identity" featuring internationally known tap dance artist Andrew Nemr. The film joins Andrew as he navigates being the only son of immigrants, a trusted keeper of the oral tradition of tap dance, and a follower of Jesus Christ. Through many challenges we see Andrew as he literally dances his way through questions about family, ethnicity, race, art, community, and where one’s identity really comes from. In this special podcast episode, listen to the conversation that Forefront director Nate Mancini had with Andrew about what it means to find our identity.