The Elon Music Ambassadors instrumental and vocal ensemble, directed by Virginia Novine Whittaker, recently performed for high school audiences in the Richmond, Virginia area on April 24 and 25.
The Elon Music Ambassadors instrumental and vocal ensemble, directed by Virginia Novine Whittaker, lecturer in music, recently performed for high school audiences in the Richmond, Virginia area on April 24 and 25.
The ensemble presented “Anthems of Social Change,” a program featuring music that has historically confronted injustice, inspired social movements and fostered unity across cultures and generations. Audiences experienced a dynamic selection of anti-war songs from the Civil Rights Movement, protest music from Ireland, Ukraine, and Panama, and contemporary works addressing today’s most pressing social issues. Each piece was carefully selected and arranged by the students, customized to highlight the unique instrumentation of the ensemble.
Members of the Elon Music Ambassadors who participated in the tour included Julian Brown, Peter Collins, Grace Chester, Tess Trayner, Kate Rivera, Noah Raney, Anthony Hotakainen, Ella Nagel, Erik Houck, Hashini Amarasinghe, Laker Figueroa and Maya Cohen.
At the conclusion of each performance, the students led a question-and-answer session with the high school audiences discussing the music performed and providing information about Elon University and careers in music.