Julian Davis Reid

Julian Davis Reid is an artist-theologian from Chicago whose work invites us to rejoice, lament, and hope together. A graduate of Chicago’s Whitney M. Young High School, Yale University (B.A.), and Candler School of Theology at Emory University (M.Div.), Julian is a pianist, composer, producer, speaker, and writer. Julian is the founder of the ministry Notes of Rest®, a contemplative-musical experience that invites the weary to practice God’s transforming rest through the Bible and Black music. A member of Emory University’s Alumni Class of 2025 40 under 40, Julian has released seven studio albums under his own name and with the group The JuJu Exchange. His next release, Mercy We Need, is out September 24, 2026. Julian is also the Artistic Director for Testify!, a project from Christian Theological Seminary that strengthens Christian witness in Black churches by reviving testimony traditions through artistic witness and digital storytelling.

Julian has toured in Asia, Europe, and across North America, having performed at the Montreal Jazz Fest, Lollapalooza, and the Berlin Jazz Fest. A former member of Isaiah Collier and the Chosen Few, Julian has created with artists across genres including, Chance the Rapper, Tank and the Bangas, Jamila Woods, Keyon Harrold, Abiodun Oyewole from The Last Poets, and Ken Medema. An award-winning writer, Julian writes about his journey as an artist-theologian on his Substack “Julian’s Note.” He has published essays on Notes of Rest in several books, including Naming the Spirit: Pneumatology through the Arts, At This Time: Dialogues in Theological Education, and Light for the Way. His work has been covered in The Chicago Sun Times, The New York Times, Forbes, Sojourners, Billboard, and Downbeat. Julian lives in Chicago with his wife Carmen and their daughter Lydia; they are members of Lawndale Christian Community Church.

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