Dr. Eric Conway writes on September 6, 2019:
The Morgan State University Choir performed today at the United States Conference on Aids (USCA) http://2019usca.org at
the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Washington, DC. This was an enormous
event with over two thousand persons in attendance. We sang for the
plenary session, where every attendee was in the room. The keynote
speaker was Iyanla Vanzant!
We
were excited to attend, to understand where we are on the disease of
AIDS and HIV in America. We do not hear very much about the disease
anymore, much because medical science has advanced to the point where an
HIV diagnosis does not mean the end of life as you know it. We all
know many persons who have contracted the disease, who are thriving!
The
choir sang many songs in the session. The producers of the conference
wanted to give a history of the disease, decade by decade, yes the
disease is forty years old! They wanted the choir to sing music they
would give a sense of the sentiment of each decade. Each song was to be
emotionally and tonally chosen to represent the trajectory of the fight
in that decade.
80’s - sadness, melancholy
They asked us to sing: “Will I” from RENT
90’s - struggle, perhaps anger, this is the decade where the fight is front and center - needed to start a global conversation
They asked us to sing: “Let’s Talk About Sex” by Salt and Pepa
2000’s - hope comes to our communities. We may not see the end, but there is some light.
They asked us to sing: “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” as sung by Whitney Houston
2010’s - the motivation to move forward, the emotion as we push toward the end of the epidemic.
They asked us to sing: “I Made It” as sung by Fantasia
The
finale consisted of two choirs on stage - The Gay Men’s Chorus of
Washington who sang Andra Day’s “Rise Up” and Morgan who sang “We’re
All In the Same Boat Together,” with a grand finale with both choirs
singing: “This is Me” from the Greatest Showman.
This
was a riveting event. See some pictures of the conference and
performance. I managed to try to capture the videos of the Morgan
students singing the music between the decades in a posted YouTube Video
below. The power of this video is not in the music, but the personal
statements by persons who have HIV or individuals who are leading the
fight against HIV. Also see a link to a soundfile of the choir’s two
final selections.
At
the end of the session, there was not a dry eye in the house! The
ending as envisioned left everyone encouraged that we are indeed going
to find a cure!
Eric
Morgan Choir sings at 2019 US Conference on AIDS!
Soundfile of Morgan’s Finale Performance:
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle
************************************
Eric Conway, D.M.A.
Fine and Performing Arts Department, Chair
Morgan State University
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