The University of Mobile’s (UM) brass and percussion ensemble RamCorps is accustomed to standing ovations, but the one they received in Moscow told the story of how music can bridge cultural and political divides.
"We were performing on stage in a park in Moscow," recalled RamCorps director and assistant professor of music Don Wolf. "When we finished playing, a man in the audience stood up, threw his hands in the air, and yelled out, ‘Moscow! United States! Friendship!’"
That moment was just one of many memories that 15 UM students have as a result of a cultural music exchange that took them on 10-day trip to Moscow May 12–22.
Wolf said the elite ensemble performed Christian and secular pieces in their trademark dynamic style in venues including parks, universities, jazz club, a Russian Christian church and the American Center, which is the cultural arm of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Along the way they exchanged e-mail addresses with new-found friends, building relationships that they hope will one day lead to life-changing spiritual decisions with those they met and entertained.
The students are accustomed to performing. As members of the university’s center for performing arts, which is under the direction of Gospel Music Hall of Fame member Roger Breland, they performed at more than 70 events during the 2007–08 school year.
The group serves as ambassadors for the school, presenting concerts at schools, civic events, churches and conferences throughout the Southeast United States.
The Moscow trip was something different. "It broadened our students’ world view dramatically," Wolf said.
Percussionist Wesley Gay, a music major from Headland, said while the culture and the big-city influences were different from his hometown, the people in Moscow were essentially the same.
"As much as the cultures of Moscow and Headland greatly differ, the people differ only slightly," Gay said.
"For at the core of all people is a desire to be loved, appreciated, cared for and respected." (UM)
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