Sacred Nine Project
C. Leonard Raybon
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About This Podcast
Sacred Nine Project Podcast is an extension of Sacred Nine Project (sacrednine.com). The podcast thrives in the tension between the beauty and uniqueness of American music (particularly 18thc and 19thc) and the oddities and often problematic worldviews it reveals. By taking a look at this body of work, we can learn a lot about our country’s history, which tells a great deal about our country today, and ourselves. Join music professor and vocal/choral performer, C. Leonard Raybon, as he champions American music, while playfully indicting it. The podcast will feature guest historians, musicians, and performances.
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Recent Episodes
38} History in Translation
My guest is Bruce Dorsey, Professor of History, Swarthmore College. Please learn more about him and his work here! Check back for the American Martyr concert premiere video here.
37} Lyrics Nowadays
Let me know if you have any other points to make about good or bad song lyrics. Email me at [email protected] support our Stephen Foster retrospective at University of Pittsburgh in June,…
36} BOGUS BROADSIDE #1 & Paige Davis
Join me as I discuss the insidious hold of Christian Nationalism on our country with guest, Paige Davis of the St. Charles Center for Faith + ActionYou can also SEE the Bogus Broadside in all it’s…
35} Carol of the Cloth
Please help us write a new National Anthem by filling out this survey!!Also, donate to help my Stephen Foster Retrospective at University of Pittsburgh in June 2026!
34} A Good Mind
The heroine of Hannah & Her Daughters used a saying “I am a good mind.” I reimagine this saying in this episode. It’s a short episode but full of heart.
33} Hannah and Hoover!
To learn more about Hannah and Her Daughters, visit here.We really need financial support as you will hear at the top of this episode. Please consider giving by clicking here!
32} Iambs and Trochees and Anapests, oh my!
We talk about a lot of things…Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, but especially William Billings and his “erroneously” telling his readers to pair a text with tunes THAT DON’T MATCH! Did we crack the…
31} Summer on Stage: Diane Lala
This week, we sit down with Diane Lala, our director for Carousel. We talk about how we navigate the issues of domestic violence and suicide. We also talk about her history with Summer Lyric Theatre.
30} Summer on Stage: Melissa Marshall
This is a joint episode with my new podcast, Summer Lyric & Lore. The overlap here is the issue of how to, in our modern day, produce a play with such a problematic depiction of domestic violence.
29} Jan Schluter
“The Romish Lady,” trad., arr. C. Leonard RaybonSacred Nine SingersEric Anderson, soloistJourney Schaubhut, soloist
28} Words of Welkin
This is Sacred Nine Project: Words of Welkin, offered with no introduction. This was offered on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at Rayne Memorial Methodist Church.It is essential that you follow along in the…
27} I Shall Be Left
As a child I was traumatized by the Second Coming. At any given moment, Christ may pierce the skies. If so, you’d better be saved. But in my culture, you never really know if you’re saved; if you sin…
26} Verses for Children: A Transgender Reflection
We talk to the originator of these songs, Journey Schaubhut, a trans man, who gives us insights in his “journey” in transitioning gender as well as voice part. We are so grateful for this! I had…
25} A McKinley Moment
Sorry but this is kind of a downer. It’s about the state of our country. But the music I provide is sensational, thanks to the Sacred Nine Singers!Also, you will hear in the episode about how I want…
24} Writing a (good) hymn?
Here you will learn the different things I consider and the several things that challenge me when I am writing texts!
23} TT&AL (READ EPISODE NOTE BEFORE LISTENING!)
IMPORTANT: At the point in the episode where I start asking the audience to vote for the “fake song,” pause the episode, visit https://sacrednine.com/demon and tell us which one YOU think is the…
22} Thankful for Isaac Watts
I will share with you several artifacts associated with Watts, including three girls samplers, on which Watts' texts are embroidered. I also share with you my first published piece, sung by the…
21} Sarah Maria Cornell and Methodism: a talk with Ellen Blue
Sacred Nine will be traveling to Swarthmore college on Good Friday, 2026 to "beatify" the brutally murdered Sarah Maria Cornell. Inspiration came from Murder in a Mill Town by Bruce Dorsey, Professor…
20} Project 2025
our guest's website:www://karriegaspard.comhttps://sacrednine.comSacred Nine's satire of Christian Nationalism
19} Sing Me, Sing Me Not (part 2)
In 2021, after having virtually eliminated the singing of Spirituals from my career, I decided to take a deep dive, asking African American scholars and performers their thoughts on whites singing…
Frequently Asked Questions
Sacred Nine Project has published 39 episodes since January 2023, covering topics in Christianity, History.
Sacred Nine Project is currently highly active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 32m.
Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Sacred Nine Project, including email and social media links.
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