News Archives - 2007

Gospel Praise and Jazz Ensemble will perform with renowned composer/jazz trumpeter, poet, and playwright Hannibal Lokumbe and VocalEssence as part of the annual WITNESS concerts.

The group of nine vocalists and 18 instrumentalists will perform at Four Seasons A+ Elementary School on Friday, February 23 and at the Ordway for other school-aged children during the day on Monday and Tuesday, February 26 and 27.

Additionally, four Augsburg percussionists along with Bob Stacke will perform Lokumbe’s oratorio Dear Mrs. Parks at the main concert on Sunday, February 25. The work is based on fictional letters written to Rosa Parks.

VocalEssence began WITNESS in 1991 as a concert and educational program to celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the fine arts and is regarded as one of the nation’s premier initiatives communicating our shared American heritage.

Gospel Praise director and chair of the music department Bob Stacke ’71 serves on the Board of Education for VocalEssence. He says, “What makes Gospel Praise different than anything else is that it celebrates music of diverse cultures and is the blending of big band with vocalists. So many colleges have a jazz ensemble and a vocal jazz group, but ours is one in the same. They perform together; they’re on the same trips. It’s one unit of people, and that’s really unique. We can do a lot of different genres. With Hannibal, we’ll do one rehearsal and then four shows.”

For more information on the WITNESS program, please visit www.vocalessence.org/witness.