Symphony in the Flint Hills has added the multigenerational and multicultural ensemble ARISE to its lineup of musicians for its annual Signature Event sunset concert on June 15.
ARISE, which stands for African-Americans Renewing Interest in Spirituals Ensemble, is a 30-year-old community ensemble based out of Wichita, KS that typically performs African-American music and stories. The group consists of 32 members – 22 will perform at the Signature Event – who range from ages 20 to 80. This is the first time they’ve performed at the sunset concert.
“Our mantra is ‘harmony through unity’ or ‘unity through harmony’ so we welcome opportunities to bring different cultures and people together and bring us into the environments where there will be people from all walks of life. We like to stretch ourselves to meet our own goals. We’re very comfortable when asked to do something unique for us. This is definitely one opportunity we didn’t want to pass up,” said Dr. Sharon Cranford, president of ARISE.
While the sunset concert typically features the Kansas City Symphony and sometimes a special guest, this year’s concert will have additional music focused on Jump!Star– an intergalactic arts initiative under the artistic direction of George Ferrandi that has involved a team of scientists, artists and musicians imagining what an event celebrating a new North Star, which will happen 1,000 years from now, might look like.
The Jump!Star portion of this year’s sunset concert will feature the work of composer Jherek Bischoff and guitarist, songwriter, soloist Mirah, who wrote the songs that ARISE will perform.
“The addition of this talented and spiritual group is going to add an element we’ve never had before. We’re really excited to feature ARISE as part of the Jump!Star initiative we’re celebrating at this year’s event,” said Christy Davis, executive director of Symphony in the Flint Hills, Inc.
Limited tickets are still available to the Signature Event in Bazaar, KS on June 15 and can be purchased at https://2019symphonyintheflinthills.eventbrite.com. Learn more about ARISE at http://www.ariseensemble.com or on Facebook at @AriseEnsemblePage.