Wichita, KS- Friends University Fine Arts Department announces a special collaboration with the Singing Quakers, Big Bands and Jazz Vocal Ensemble presenting Duke Ellington’s Best of The Sacred Concerts on Friday October 27, at 7:30 p.m. at University Friends Church, located at 1840 W. University St., Wichita, Kan.
Duke Ellington, America’s most prolific composer, embarked on a mission in the latter half of the 1960s to compose a religious concert to synthesize his life experience with faith and share with the world. His first sacred concert premiered in 1965 and was, in his words “successful beyond my wildest dreams.” The subsequent success of the work lent its way to opportunities to compose two additional and equally impactful sacred concerts. Ellington’s ecumenical perspective on Christianity is on display utilizing his legendary jazz band with a narrator, vocal soloists and a tap dancer.
This promises to be a representation of the fortitude and togetherness of Friends Fine Arts as they hit the road during the renovation of Sebits Auditorium and the Riney Fine Arts Center.
Tickets for the concert are $8 for adults and $4 for seniors; students may attend for free but must select a ticket online and bring their student ID on the night to guarantee entry. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Fine Arts office at 316-295-5677 or visit www.friends.edu/finearts.
Friends University, a Christian University of Quaker heritage, equips students to honor God and serve others by integrating their intellectual, spiritual and professional lives.