IU’s African American Choral Ensemble is touring Germany this summer to perform at an international festival of sacred music, according to a May 6 press release from the IU Bloomington Newsroom.
The group, whose goal is to “preserve the legacy of African American choral music through transformative interpretations of this unique American art form,” according to IU’s African American Arts Institute website, performs music from across the genre spectrum.
The ensemble performs songs ranging from folk and spiritual works to contemporary gospel music.
This will be the ensemble’s first European tour.
Twenty-seven students will be joining ensemble director Raymond Wise and Charles E. Sykes, executive director of the African American Arts Institute, on the tour of the western European country, including not only their performances but also cultural exchanges and visits to historic sites, according to the release.
Wise will lead a separate choir at the Musica Sacra International 2016 festival called the “Voices for Peace” ensemble.
A first-time event for the choir, Wise will bring together singers from different groups into a newly assembled choir.
More than 150 musicians from across five different religious traditions and our continents will be present at the festival, according to the release.
“Not only will the educational and cultural exchange enhance their growth as a choir and as individuals,” Wise said in the release, “But more importantly, the students will get to witness the impact of African-American music around the world and play a part in its global expansion.”
The group will be performing in several public concerts in May, including at St. Paulus Church in Hamburg-Heimfeld on May 9, the American Church of Berlin on May 11, St. Thomas Church in Leipzig on May 13, St. Mang Abbey in Fussen on May 14, and the Kurhaus concert hall in Bad Hindelang on May 15.
Members of the ensemble will also visit historic sites and perform and sing with both German school children and musicians from the Bavarian Music Academy, as well as meet with IU alumni in the region.
The ensemble has been celebrating its 40th anniversary this past year.
“I am overjoyed that our students will have the opportunity to represent IU and share their musical talents with multiple and diverse audiences in Germany,” Sykes said in the release. “For some students, this will be their first trip to Germany; for others, this will be their first trip outside of the U.S. But for all of our students, this will be an incredible learning experience.”
Anicka Slachta
