PC Music Dept. presents concert at ISU
This quote by Harriet Tubman speaks volumes to us in today’s society, but it was in the 1800s that she said those words — a time in American History when African-Americans were not given the right to be free, let alone dream of changing the world.
Imagine crossing the country in the middle of the night with no food or shelter. Although this feat sounds impossible, many African-Americans accomplished it in the 1800s. These African-Americans were runaway slaves that traveled along some of the most secret routes in history, the Underground Railroad.
On Saturday, Feb. 25, at 2 p.m. at Capen Auditorium on the Illinois State University campus, the Prairie Central High School Choir and Jack Waddell of Bloomington will present “John W. Jones — Journey to Freedom.” It is a musical drama starring operatic bass Jack Waddell that tells the true story of John W. Jones (1817–1900), a fugitive slave, and his heroic rise to prominence through helping more than 800 fugitives successfully escape to Canada through the Underground Railroad.
This one-man show features the Prairie Central High School Concert Choir and traditional African-American spirituals in haunting a cappella arrangements scored by George Guilbault and Tony Award-winning arranger William David Brohn. Tickets will be $5 (children are free) and can be purchased at the door.
Waddell is a 1963 Illinois Wesleyan University graduate. His more than 50 year career has spanned the stages of America and Europe, but it started in Bloomington and Illinois Wesleyan University. Jack Waddell graduated from Bloomington High School in 1959, where his talent for singing was recognized by his teacher, Mary Selk.
Waddell remembers being confronted by BHS’s football coach, who asked him, “Are you going to sing or play football?” Selk answered on her student’s behalf: “He’ll do both,” and he did.
After graduating from IWU, Mr. Waddell moved to New York to continue on his musical journey. In 1967, he moved to Germany and spent the next 20-plus years performing across Europe, until the late 1980s when he relocated back to New York after the passing of his mother.
Waddell now works from his 49th Street, New York studio where he works with close to 50 voice students. Waddell has an almost parental pride in his students and is thrilled that he can help them up the ladder of success. It is a lesson he says that he learned while at Illinois Wesleyan, “To be the best you can be, and then help others see that same path.”
This will be one of Waddell’s first performances in Central Illinois since graduating from Illinois Wesleyan in 1963. All are invited to come and relive history as guests are taken on a journey to a time of great hope for African-Americans. A time when the Underground Railroad was running at its best and maybe even passed through the communities we now call home.
For ticket information, call Todd Cheek at Prairie Central High School, 815-674-2355, ext. 119.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Prairie Central Music Dept. presents concert at ISU
