The CLEAR Project
Children's Liturgy, Ecology, and Renewal — A Lilly Endowment–Funded Collaboration with Villanova University
Overview
The CLEAR Project (Children's Liturgy, Ecology, and Renewal) was a two-year, Lilly Endowment–funded initiative hosted by Villanova University that brought together composers, theologians, educators, and church musicians to re-imagine congregational song centered on creation, ecology, and intergenerational worship.
Through workshops, writing intensives, rehearsals, recordings, and public worship, CLEAR invited composers to create music that children, adults, and elders could sing together—songs rooted in theological depth, ecological awareness, and lived faith.
For Gene and Fatima Burke, CLEAR became more than a commission. It became a turning point.
Songs Written for CLEAR
View All ReleasesAll songs below were written during the CLEAR Project composer cohort and released as part of the official project catalog.
Creator G-d (Masterpiece)
(2025)Written & Produced by Gene Burke. Vocals: Jaelyn Neal Holland
No Hiding Place
(2025)Written by Fatima Burke & Gene Burke. Vocals: Malachi Holland, Jaelyn Neal Holland. Keys & Programming: Gene Burke · Drums: Joe Cephas · Bass: Manuel Arocho
In the Beginning
(2025)Written by Fatima Burke. Produced by Gene Burke. Vocals: Jaelyn Neal Holland
So Good (Creator of Everything)
(2025)Written by Fatima Burke & Gene Burke. Produced by Gene Burke. Vocals: Lyric Williams, Jamila Cole, Salt & Light Ensemble. Keys: Gene Burke · Drums: Kendall Lewis · Bass: Manuel Arocho · Organ: Troy Chambers · Trumpets: Elisha Holland, Judah Burke · Alto Sax: Micaiah Burke, Gabriel Holland
I Need You
(2025)Written, Performed, and Programmed by Gene Burke
Day After Day
(2025)Written & Produced by Gene Burke. Vocals: Amir Johnson, Jaelyn Neal Holland, Jamila Cole, Charise Johnson. Keys: Gene Burke · Drums: Kendall Lewis · Bass: Manuel Arocho · Organ: Troy Chambers · Trumpets: Elisha Holland, Judah Burke · Alto Sax: Micaiah Burke, Gabriel Holland
Reflections from the Process
Embracing What I Have to Offer
October 2024
I've been writing music for as long as I can remember… My journey has taken me to Paris, London, New York City, Nashville, Louisville, and more. But it was always because I was playing someone else's music—never my own.
CLEAR forced a reckoning. For the first time in decades, the work wasn't optional. It wasn't hidden. It had deadlines, listeners, collaborators, and expectations. And that changed everything.
What CLEAR Gave Me
November 2025
CLEAR gave structure and accountability. It gave peers who listened deeply and responded honestly. It gave space where vulnerability wasn't a liability—it was the point.
The first listening session broke me open. Instead of polite applause, there were tears. Real ones. In that moment, a long-held lie collapsed: that my music was too flawed, too personal, too different to be useful.
The anxiety never disappeared—but it stopped being in charge. What emerged was confidence. Not arrogance. Confidence rooted in evidence. In community. In shared witness.
The project ended, but the shift did not. This work marked the beginning of a new relationship with my own voice.
The People Who Made It Possible
Fatima Burke
Co-writer and creative anchor
Christy Lang-Hearlson & Timothy Brunk
CLEAR Project Grant Directors
Monica Horvath
Program Coordinator, Villanova University
David & Laura Ash, Phil McMillian
Composer Cohort
Marcus Hong, Catherine Williams
Facilitators
The Salt & Light Music Ministry
For breathing life into the songs