ARISE! Let Your Light Shine!
The idiom has resonated throughout Wichita and the state of Kansas for the past 30 years. It began with a vision by one of Wichita's great visionaries, Josephine Pace Brown, and ignited a flame that refuses to be extinguished. Fueled by a partnership with the Urban League of Greater Wichita, ARISE was the beneficiary of a grant from the Kansas Committee for the Humanities, which enabled them to penetrate the four corners of the state of Kansas.
ARISE, an acronym for African-Americans Renewing Interest in Spirituals Ensemble is a 501c3, not-for-profit educational agency. It is comprised of music and history-minded individuals who seek to keep alive the almost forgotten songs of our forefathers and mothers. These songs and the stories that accompany them chronicle the struggles, conflicts, secret communications and victories of a people who refused to be extinguished.
ARISE has brought crowds to their feet in a myriad settings such as the official Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration at the Kansas state capitol building rotunda; the Wichita River Festival; the Kansas Choir Directors Association Convention, and more. The ARISE Ensemble also entertains, educates, and engages area students through Arts Partners of Wichita.
Follow our events calendar and join ARISE, as we present workshops and concerts that promote peace and uplift the soul. ARISE highlights the plaintive beauty of spirituals, transcending color lines and standing as poignant creative examples of the indomitable human spirit.
To schedule a performance, contact us through our contact page.