Through Faith Partners residencies, composers collaborate with consortia of faith-based communities in the creation of new sacred music. Consortia are located in both rural and urban communities and include congregations of different faiths. Each composer creates several new works, some for individual congregations and some that are shared by the entire consortium.

This unprecedented program seeks to reinvigorate sacred music and to reintroduce composers into religious settings where they have historically flourished. Participating congregations choose their resident composers from a pool of applicants, ensuring a happy marriage of style and outlook between the composers and their consortia. Since launching the program in the Upper Midwest in 1992, the Forum has continued to expand Faith Partners through its network of chapters.

Premieres of Faith Partners compositions have packed churches and synagogues, infusing congregations with newfound energy. Several congregations are continuing to commission new works with their own funds after the residency period has ended, indicating that the program has sparked a durable enthusiasm for new music. Faith Partners is funded by the Otto Bremer Foundation (in the Upper Midwest) and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (in the Southeast). Other local funders support projects in Boston, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Program Administrators:
Krystal Banfield (Upper Midwest)
Renita Kalhorn (New York City)
Lane Wilson (Southeast)