Good evening, and welcome to the 2025 Potpourri of the Arts concert. Welcome. I'm Dr. Raymond Wise,
Executive Director of the African American Arts Institute, and it's my honor to greet you for this vibrant
celebration of African American music, dance, and culture. Now, from the very beginning, I want to give
you permission to celebrate with us. African American art is a collective experience.
It lives through the energy between performers and audience. So clap your hands, move to the rhythm,
shout if you want, but let the spirit in you join our spirit as well. Now tonight, we stand on the shoulders
of more than 50 years of artistic excellence. For over five decades, the IU Soul Review, the African
American Dance Company, and the African American Arts Institute have lifted voices, preserved traditions,
and created spaces of belonging and expression for IU students.
And this year, we're especially proud and honored to have the 50th anniversary celebration of the African
American Choral Ensemble. A milestone, yes, a milestone.
It's a milestone that reminds us of the power of legacy learning and love through the arts. We're deeply
grateful for so many sponsors, donors, and friends who've made this evening possible, including Old
National Bank, the Jacobs School of Music, Connie and Jim Cooke, Annie Willis, and all others who sponsored
groups and donated tickets for students. We want to give a special thanks tonight to our AAI staff,
including Jerrica Stocker, our project management specialist, Johnny Campbell, our technical director,
to our director,
Stafford C. Barry, Jr., and James Strong, and our Emeritus Faculty, Professor Iris Rosa and Dr.
Charles Sykes, former director who now serves as our historian. We're grateful for them and we thank
them for their work and service. But I also want to say thanks to our more than 20 student employees
who are second to none.
I'd like to also thank the Neil Marshall staff, Dr. Gloria Howe, Tim Womack, Nancy Cross-Paris, and
the Neil Marshall ambassadors who have been working with us, and we thank you for your continual support.
I want to also say thanks to the IU auditorium staff and the excellent technicians who've partnered
with us to bring this performance to life tonight. From the lighting, to the sound, to the tech crew,
we appreciate all of you. We also want to thank our academic home, the Department of African American
and African Diaspora Studies, through which our students earn academic credit.
I'd also like to acknowledge the College of Arts and Sciences, but most importantly, I want to acknowledge
our students who represent many majors, backgrounds, and ethnicities. They come together to do their
best work and embody the diversity and the unity of our IU community. And though they are students,
not professionals, they strive to perform at a professional level, and they work with passion and excellence
to inspire all of us.
Then to our parents and our family members who've traveled from afar, thank you. Your support means
the world to our students and especially a personal thanks to my wife and my son and my best friends
who've come from Ohio to be with us tonight. We're glad that you are here.
And also, we want to thank all of you, our IU community, the Bloomington community, our Indianapolis
community, for your continual support, because you didn't have to come today, but you did. And we truly
appreciate it, and we thank you for just showing up. Then we want to welcome our visiting students.
We've got some high school students visiting, some from Gary, Indiana. I believe you're in the house.
Welcome. We're glad you're here. We've got some students from Indianapolis. We've got some students
from Bloomington.
We're glad you are here and thank you for coming. And we want you to take part in our outreach programs.
If you're singers and musicians, we've got Camp Soul. If you're dancers, we've got Cucasonia.
the dance workshop, and we invite you to be a part of these programs. These programs literally will
spark young talent that grow into lifelong artistry, leadership, and community impact. And today to
see that impact, one of our guests tonight, our guest performers, Barbara Stafford C. Berry and company,
they are alumni of our programs and they're living proofs of the legacy we continue to build here at
the AAAI. So if you want more information, see the back of your program and you can register for those
programs as well. Now looking ahead,
Mark your calendars for ACE's 50th anniversary alumni concert celebration on February the 21st, 2026.
We plan to bring more than 100 current and former ACE members to the MAX stage, and we're gonna have
a great time. And if you're a singer in ACE or used to be a part of ACE, come and join us. Then also
look for our spring concert series. The African American Dance Company will be on April 18th. The IU
Soul Rebut will be on April 25th, and ACE will be on May the 2nd. Now, I want to share that all that
you see tonight
as a result of the vision of Herman C. Hudson, who served as the former Vice Chancellor of Black Affairs.
And we cannot let his vision die. So as we transition into our new homes in the College of Arts and
Sciences, we face some challenges.
but also some new opportunities. And your support is going to be vital in helping us to continue this
important work. So we ask you to please consider joining our Just One campaign. If you look on page
10 of your program, you'll see there is a QR code there. But it's basically an invitation for everyone
to give just $1 or any amount that you can to help sustain these transformative programs. And if you're
unable to give financially, perhaps you can consider just writing a note or writing a letter talking
about the impact of the AAI
in your life and together even small acts and things that we do can really make a big difference.
Now, our theme tonight is Together Again. It celebrates our commitment to reconnect, to rejoice,
to recommit. And what you'll see on the stage is basically a testament to what happens when we all come
together across generations, disciplines, and communities to celebrate the beauty and resilience of
African-American art. So I want to say thank you again for being a part of this celebration and for
standing with us as we move toward the next 50 years. Together.
We will continue to lift voices, we'll nurture talent, we'll keep this cultural treasure alive
for generations to come. And if time permits, we look forward to greeting many of you after the concert
tonight. But for now, without further ado, get ready to experience the spirit and the rhythm and the
joy of Potpourri 2025. Welcome and enjoy the show. Thank you.
Good evening, good evening, good evening. Are you there? Let me hear you. Are you there? We want to
start off talking with you just very briefly about a wonderful year. The year is 1974. I know some of
you remember 1974, right? Exactly. Mama Kim, what was happening with you in 1974?
studies in biology and minor in dance. I was the first black female president of the student government.
Whoo-hoo! So black people was running it. I'm telling you, we had that strength, that courage, and that
desire to do whatever we wanted to do. And the second greatest thing happened in 75 when my daughter
was born, my first born. Whoo, and I got six of them, y'all. Whoo-hoo! And I've been with the dance
company here since 2004.
We also know that in 1974, we were in the middle or in the midst of the civil rights movement and era.
We know that in 1974, we were experiencing still some struggle with police brutality, even across the
pond, as far as places like London. But also in 1974, Dr. Herman C. Hudson had the wise idea
to create a dance company that is still in existence today over 50 years later. The legendary
African-American dance company under two directors, Professor Emeriti, Professor Iris Rosa. And currently
under my direction, I'm Baba Stafford C. Berry Jr.
And we will continue to rise and continue to be a jewel in the crown that is IU. We will continue to
focus, continue to dance unyielding. Because you know, once you get started,
I'm Dr. Raymond Wise again, and this is the African American Choral Ensemble, affectionately known as
ACE, and welcome back to the Potpourri of the Arts Concert. Tonight, we invite you to celebrate the
rich tradition of African American choral music, and one theme of this evening's concert is based around
the letter L. Lift, live, love, and lead. And through these four words, we're gonna share a message
of hope and encouragement, reminding us all that no matter what we face, we can lift our voices, we
can live with purpose, we can love
deeply and we can lead with compassion. So settle in and celebrate with us as we begin our musical journey
together. This year actually marks the 125th anniversary of Lift Every Voice and Sing, also known as
the Black National Anthem. Yes.
This hymn was originally written by James Weldon Johnson and composed by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson
in 1900 for a celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. And it was first performed by 500 school children
in Florida. But since then, it's become a song of hope and endurance for African-Americans and people
all over the world. And it was adopted by the NAACP as its official anthem. And the lyrics speak to
this. Yes, that's good too.
It speaks to the struggles and the triumph of people yearning to be free, and to the faith and perseverance
that continue to guide us. Now traditionally, when this song is done, we stand and we sing the song
together in reverence and in unity. So tonight, we're going to invite you to stand and join us in singing
the first verse, and then you may be seated for the second and third verses,
which are more of a choral arrangement. But the words are gonna be on the screen, and we invite you
to stand with us. So joining us on piano is Josh Cantanzaro, and we welcome him as we lift every voice
and sing. Stand and sing with us.
spiritual and the gospel tradition. Now in the spiritual, enslaved African Americans spoke of freedom
in life after death, or the life to come. But in gospel music, African Americans declared freedom right
here and now. They celebrate the abundant life that their God gives them in this very moment. And too
often in our lives, we put off living. We make a bucket list and dream of some day. But life is short.
to say here today gone tomorrow, but now we say here today gone today. And this song encourages us to
live our best life now. So I ask yourself, what are your dreams? What are your gifts? What are you waiting
for? You don't need anyone's permission to walk in your purpose. So live boldly, live joyfully, start
living now because tomorrow's not promised. Now this song is a gospel song.
So we invite you to sing along, rock along, clap along, pat your feet, and celebrate. Now remember,
friends don't let friends clap on one and three. So you rock on one and three, and you clap on two and
four. You got it? All right. So please welcome Will Muir as we celebrate. Live your best life. Enjoy.
I wanna thank y'all for coming out with us tonight. We about to have a good time, we not done yet. Let's go!
We might ask, whatever happened to love, faith, hope, truth? Where is compassion, empathy, and understanding?
And it often feels like hearts have just grown a cold. But what if we return to the golden rule,
which says, do unto others as you would have them do unto you?
What if we led with grace and kindness and forgiveness, even when it's hard? And every day when I come
into class, I ask the students, are you gonna make it? And some days they say yes, but there's some
days when they say, I'm not sure. But it's in those moments that we need a little bit more love and
we need to encourage faith and hope and we know that we encourage truth that it's gonna carry us through.
And one way or another, we always end up making it through the challenge
Because as the saying goes, trouble don't last always. So as you listen to this song, reflect on these
words and remember that if we live with love, keep the faith, hold on to hope, and stand and speak the
truth, we can make it through anything. So reflect on this song, love, faith, hope, and truth.
dates and more peaceful ways and we will make it through. Can you take that with us? Can we sing a little
bit of that?
It's been a joy sharing with you tonight. Before we sing our last song, I'd like to acknowledge these
wonderful musicians over here. To my right and your left, Bobby Davis on keys. Darren Collins on the
drums. And Josh Contanzaro here on piano. Then I want to thank the Choral Ensemble for their hard work
and dedication. It takes so much to make this ensemble operate smoothly. So I want to thank our gifted
associate instructors, Ambriel Ivy, who's our road manager.
And Langilishe Ngati, who is our vocal coach. And I'd once again like to acknowledge that if there are
any former ACE members out there in the audience, we want to invite you to come join us for our 50th
anniversary concert. And we want to get you on stage singing with us one more time. So get a flyer out
in the lobby, sign up, and participate as a part of that. And finally, I'd like to invite all of you
who used to sing in high school choir or church choir, who are not singing right now in college, come
and join us.
This coming Monday at seven o'clock, we have auditions in the Neil Marshall Black Culture Center. We'd
love for you to come and join us and be a part of using your gifts and talents to make a difference
in our community. I hope you've enjoyed being with us tonight, and we hope you have been inspired. Now,
our final song was composed by one of our own, Bobby Davis Jr. And it carries a timeless message, lead
with love. Now, every day we face choices.
how we speak, how we act, how we respond. And this song reminds us that our words and our actions matter.
And when we lead with love, we invite peace instead of conflict. For you see, love can calm storms.
Love can heal wounds. Love brings light into darkness. And as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, darkness
cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.
So as you return to your own lives and your communities, remember this message.
Whatever you do and wherever you go, lead with love. Enjoy. Thank you. Good night.
soul.
named Phyllis Hyman. How many of y'all know Phyllis Hyman? All right, regardless of if you do or don't,
we're going to teach you something about her tonight. Ready?
Cast by the name of Bill Bibb to vote. Who said that? Who said that? I heard you. We're going to put
some poison in your system. Hey, y'all ready?
Tell it a little bit of ooh child, is that cool?