Last night the Morgan State University choir sang a concert with the grammy award winning songstress Lisa Fischer. The concert was held at the Music Center at Strathmore, in Bethesda, MD. Ms. Fischer was accompanied by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of the very capable Luke Frazier, director of the American Pops Orchestra. This was the choir’s first public opportunity to sing with an orchestra since the pandemic. Strathmore, located in Montgomery County has had some of the strictest COVID policies in the country — which certainly decreased the audience for evening — with a paltry five hundred in attendance for the concert. Everyone who attended was required to show a vaccination card or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the concert. The choir was required to present a COVID negative test result within 24 hours of the concert, especially since we were singing maskless during the concert.
Lisa Fischer, may be most known by her 1991 Best R&B grammy-award winning single “How Can I Ease the Pain." However, many may know Lisa Fischer because of her four-decade career of singing as a featured background artist with Luther Vandross, The Rolling Stones, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, and Nine Inch Nails. In 2013, she was the featured artist in the Oscar winning Best Documentary film: “Twenty Feet from Stardom”.
Ms. Fischer gave a generous two-hour program which included her grammy award winning single. She also paid tribute to Roberta Flack and Luther Vandross, via extended medleys of their compositions during the concert. These were the choir’s favorite songs that we sang. We were quite surprised to realize that Roberta Flack, who is close friends with Lisa Fischer and the conductor, agreed to make a public appearance on stage last night, despite her failing health. Ms. Flack was rolled out on stage in a wheelchair before the Flack medley was performed. The entire hall rose to their feet! Roberta Flack briefly spoke about her relationship with Lisa. She then listened to the medley with tears in her eyes from the side of the stage!
This was a quality engagement for the choir, singing in a pop style that we typically do not perform, but certainly enjoyed! Rather than our signature blue robes or typical formal attire, the conductor requested a “Bohemian” look from all performers, including himself, wearing jeans and a long-sleeved pattern shirt. The conductor was so impressed with the choir’s sound that he wants the choir to sing for a similar pops program next year featuring the music of Nat King Cole!
See pics attached from the rehearsal and performance as well as a link to the concert program given to patrons for the concert via QR code.
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Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. - Rumi.
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Eric Conway, D.M.A.
Fine and Performing Arts Department, Chair
Morgan State University
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