WHAT'S HAPPENING
Explore what’s planned for our time together–sessions, worship, and shared fellowship throughout the conference.
WHERE WE'RE STAYING
For extended fellowship and convenience, we recommend booking your stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Nashville/Brentwood, our conference hotel.
WHO'S SPEAKING
We’re delighted to welcome Dr. John Witvliet as our featured presenter. Scroll down to meet additional presenters and choirs.
Schedule
- 01
- 02
- 03
Lodging
Hilton Garden Inn Nashville/Brentwood
217 Centerview Drive
Brentwood, TN, 37027
We’re pleased to offer several convenient hotel options for your stay during the Polyphony Conference!
Our Conference Hotel is the Hilton Garden Inn Nashville/Brentwood, featuring a special discounted rate exclusively for Polyphony attendees.
Click the booking link below to reserve your room at this special rate. The rate is available for February 4–7, with the option to arrive a night early (Wednesday, February 4) if you’d like to settle in before the conference begins.
Polyphony has reserved a block of 30 rooms at the Conference Hotel. If you’d like to stay here, we encourage you to make your reservation as early as possible. The hotel will honor the conference rate as long as rooms remain available.
Additional nearby hotels are listed below for your convenience.
Hilton Brentwood/ Nashville Suites
9000 Overlook Blvd. (1.1 miles – 5 min drive)
615-370-0111
Parking: $10/day
On-site restaurants: Rose & Emmett’s (breakfast), Bur Bun (dinner)
Sheraton Nashville Brentwood
760 Old Hickory Blvd. (1.7 miles – 8 min drive)
615-964-5500
Parking: Free
On-site restaurants: Sip & Sound, &More
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Nashville – Brentwood I-65
4466 Franklin Pike Circle (1.5 miles – 7 min drive)
615-221-5001
Parking: Free
Free hot breakfast included
Primary Speaker
John Witvliet
We are honored to feature Dr. John Witvliet, a trusted voice in worship and theology. His sessions on worship and culture will spark fresh insight and inspire deeper imagination for the church at worship.
John Witvliet serves as senior scholar and program advisor for missional initiatives and professor of theology, worship and the arts at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, nurturing Belmont's ecumenical Christ-centered mission across Belmont’s 12 colleges, promoting engagement with Christian intellectual traditions globally, serving as theologian-in-residence for the Belmont Formation Collaborative, facilitating plans for campus worship and interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthening networks of engagement and support for university-wide initiatives.
Prior to joining the Belmont faculty in 2025, he served for 28 years as the founding director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and professor at Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary, leading the teams that administered the Vital Worship, Vital Preaching grants program, the Compelling Preaching Initiative Coordination Program, the Calvin Symposium on Worship, CICW Summer Academic Seminars, and CICW-related publication series with GIA Publications, Eerdmans, and Cascade.
He has published and lectured widely on Trinitarian theology of worship and the sacraments, the Psalms, intergenerational faith formation, worship-related arts (especially choral and congregational music for worship), as well as strategic philanthropy and institutional leadership.
Featured Presenters
Charlotte Witvliet
Charlotte V. O. Witvliet, Ph.D. serves as a Senior Scholar with the Belmont Formation Collaborative for Initiatives focused on Whole Person Formation, Mental Health and Flourishing. She holds a faculty appointment as a Professor of Clinical Psychology and Character Formation. She trained as a scientist-practitioner clinical psychologist at Purdue University and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center affiliated with Duke University. She then taught at Hope College and ran an emotion and psychophysiology research lab. Much of her work on forgiveness, gratitude, and accountability has focused on supporting people in both truth-telling and transformation as they face interpersonal challenges with virtue to foster flourishing. Charlotte’s work has appeared in journals such as Psychological Science, The Journal of Positive Psychology, and the Journal of Psychology and Theology. Her work was supported by grants from The John Templeton Foundation, Templeton Religion Trust, and the Fetzer Institute, and she now serves on the Steering Committee of the Templeton Religion Trust. Her research has been featured in media outlets, including Time, Newsweek, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Hidden Brain.
Angela Carr Forsythe
Dr. Angela Carr Forsythe is a versatile singer, vocal instructor, director, and lecturer. She serves as Director of Vocal Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Trevecca Nazarene University, where she teaches voice and directs the Lyric Theatre Ensemble. Angela earned her doctorate in Voice Performance from Ball State University in 2015, receiving the Doctoral Excellence in Teaching award for her outstanding teaching and leadership. A Level 3-certified Somatic Voicework™ instructor, she is an active member of the Somatic Voicework™ Teachers Association and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Angela’s ministry includes serving as singer, keyboardist, and worship leader in churches, retreats, and Christian conference centers, including Fort Square Presbyterian (MA) and Keystone Church of the Nazarene (Okinawa, Japan). She has performed with Christian artists such as Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, and Larnelle Harris, and recently sang Saviour: A Modern Oratorio at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. A member of Brentwood Baptist Church, she joyfully offers her musical gifts to the Lord. Soli Deo gloria!
Featured Choirs
Worship Leaders
Tracie Jernigan
Minister of Worship Arts
First Baptist Church
Wilmington NC
Keith Reaves
Senior Associate/Minister
of Worship
First Baptist Church, Rome, GA
Jacob Sensenig
Music & Worship Arts Pastor
Trinity Baptist Church
San Antonio, TX
Other Presenters
Joshua Cheney
Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities
Gardner-Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC
Adam Cogliano
Minister for Music and Worship
South Main Baptist Church
Houston, TX
James Wells
Director of Worship & Arts
Brentwood United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN