When Raymond Wise graduated Denison in 1983, he may not have known that he would be returning nearly 20 years later to finish what he started.
“Raymond Wise has brought incredible energy and talent to our choral offerings,” said Associate Professor Andrew Glendening, chair of the Music Department. “His approach to the Gospel Choir blends the history of Gospel music with performance pedagogy that has created an exciting learning environment He is really exciting to watch.”
The Gospel Choir is not a new ensemble on Denison’s campus, however. While Wise was a student at Denison, he created the first incarnation of the choir.
When the ensemble first started, it had only six members. It would not take long, though, for the ensemble to grow.
Once the choir grew in size, it went on tour. The choir even recorded an album of their musical efforts.
“The response was overwhelming from the administration and the school,” said Wise. “It was one of those features that brought everyone together.”
However, when Wise graduated in 1983, the ensemble did not sustain itself. After a while, the Gospel Choir was another chapter in Denison’s Music Department’s history.
Turn the clock forward 17 years to the year 2000. As the Music Department undergoes a set of changes, much of the curriculum is changed, and new ensembles are added, including a reincarnation of the Gospel Choir.
The re-establishment of the Gospel Choir brought with it the return of Wise to his Alma Mater, where he could once again preach the gospel to the choir and share his knowledge of Gospel music.
“It’s really a fulfillment of where I was going when I left 20 years ago,” said Wise.
Though it may be difficult to determine the future of the Gospel Choir, one thing is for sure, it will be a part of Denison’s music department for years to come.
“The Gospel Choir has exceeded all of my expectations,” said Glendening. “This ensemble has Filled a gap in our musical offerings and has brought fresh air and new faces into the program.”
In the near future, the Music Department is in the process of commissioning a work for the Gospel Choir and the Denison Orchestra to be premiered during the Fall 2001 semester that would bring these two traditions together. Additionally, there are plans to feature the Gospel Choir at Baccalaureate and Commencement this year.
Although it is difficult to know for sure what the long-term plans are for the Gospel Choir, Glendening alluded to future course offerings on the subject of Gospel Music. In addition, the group might lead to an Institute in Gospel Music Studies.
The Gospel Choir performed its first concert of the 2000-2001 academic school year last Wednesday, Nov. 29, in Burke Recital Hall.