Anthony Brown, internationally acclaimed baritone and Hesston College sociology faculty and artist-in-residence, will present “I Go On Singing,” a tribute to Paul Robeson at Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre in honor of Black History Month.

Hesston College and The Orpheum Theatre will partner to present “I Go On Singing” an original tribute to Paul Robeson at The Orpheum Theatre (Wichita, Kan.) at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 21 and a free program for schools at 10 a.m., Feb. 22.

Internationally acclaimed baritone and Hesston College faculty member and artist-in-residence Anthony Brown’s tribute to Robeson, who was an all-American athlete and scholar, champion orator, international recording artist, and star of the stage and screen during the 1930s and 40s, is in honor of Black History Month.

Robeson’s story is a 75-minute song-filled, multi-media presentation that reveals him as a towering figure in 20th century American history. Brown uses Robeson’s own words from his autobiography “Here I Stand” and comments from legendary peace activist and artist Pete Seeger to trace his humble beginnings as a preacher’s son in Princeton, N.J., to his international celebrity and pioneering activism on the world stage.

Accompanied by a pianist, photo projection and narrator Junius Dotson, senior pastor at Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, “I Go On Singing” is equal parts historical documentary and live concert experience. Musical numbers range from spirituals to Broadway, and include original arrangements of Robeson’s favorites like “Ol’ Man River,” “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” “Shenandoah,” “Scandalize My Name,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” “All Through the Night,” “Joe Hill,” “Deep River” and many others.

Brown is an international promoter of peace, Hesston College sociology faculty and artist-in-residence and founder of Peacing It Together Foundation, an organization that serves the global community as a resource for peace and social justice. He uses music and the spoken word to bring people together across the divides of race, culture and religion. Brown’s travels have taken him to countries such as Bosnia, Moldova, Northern Ireland, Uganda, Ethiopia, the Philippines, China, Japan, South Korea and Colombia, where he has seen music transform and heal.

“Paul Robeson: I Go On Singing” was written especially for Brown by personal friend and playwright, Andrew Flack, and premiered in Robeson’s hometown of Princeton, N.J., to inspiring reviews.

Benjamin J. Colbert, chairman of The Paul Robeson House Committee in Princeton said of the show, “We were very fortunate to have witnessed Mr. Brown’s portrayal of the music, life, and times of Paul Robeson. His performance in ‘I Go On Singing’ brings new life and inspiration to a generation of admirers.”

“Anthony Brown is a treasure,” said Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Ph.D of Princeton University. “Endowed with a superb baritone voice, he has assembled an exquisite show that celebrates Paul Robeson and his times. Instructive and deeply touching, Mr. Brown’s performance is extraordinary. More people should have the opportunity to witness it.”

Hesston College, the only two-year liberal arts college in Kansas, was named the number 2 two-year college in the country by “Washington Monthly” magazine in 2010. Hesston offers students a supportive and relational community that values immediate leadership and involvement opportunities in all areas of the student experience. Students build a foundation that starts them toward futures of success and service to others, the church and the world.

Tickets for the Feb. 21 performance are $15 and can be purchased at wichitaorpheum.com or through Select-A-Seat by calling 316-755-7328 or at selectaseat.com.

School groups wanting to attend the free Feb. 22 performance should contact Hesston College at 866-437-7866 and The Orpheum Theatre at 316-263-0884 to reserve seating. The program is best suited for middle school and high school age students.

Gene Herr served on the Board of Directors of Peacing It Together during its first two years.(2007-2008)

He inspired the creation of the organization. In 2005 my friend and mentor Gene Herr asked if he could take me to the airport when I needed to travel to my singing engagements. My conversations with him in the car to and from the Wichita airport moved me a step further in creating an organization using music to promote peace.

He and his wife Mary had started the Hermitage. It is a not for profit organization and retreat center for spiritual enhancement. When hearing my stories about my domestic and international travels, he encouraged me to start my own organization to further the work of peace through music. It took a few years of ongoing conversations before I took this step. I am deeply grateful to Gene for his interests in my work for peace.

Gene died on January 1, 2012 from complications related to cancer. His deep care and compassion for others is truly a legacy for all of us to emulate.

Gene will live on in the work Peacing It Together Foundation will continue to do to promote peace and justice in the world.

The evening included a Muslim call to prayer by Saheeb Sabur, a drumming
ensemble, the Bethel AME and Highland Presbyterian Church choirs, the J.P.
McCaskey High School Gospel Choir, Voces Inspiradas Vivendo en el Spiritu, and
the Max Bruch “Kol Nidrei,” for cello. Tony Brown performed the closing pieces -
inspirational songs, including “Come Let Us Dream,” “I Believe This Belongs to
You,” and “Each Other’s Light.”

The event was planned by concert committee chair, Eleanor Taylor, with program
arrangements made by Highland’s Music Director and composer, Dr. Simon Andrews.
Dr. Andrews also performed as accompanist for Tony Brown and for the remarkable
young cellist, Kathyrn Westerlund.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hesston College offering China trip

HESSTON, Kan.– International relationships are a vital part of the Hesston College culture both on and off campus. During the 2012 May term, beginning May 7, the college will expand its international learning opportunities with a three week trip to China led by sociology faculty and artist-in-residence Tony Brown and Chunrong Li, a Chinese citizen living in Philadelphia.

“Global awareness is a big part of what we do at Hesston College,” said Brown. “The trip is meant to be an inter-cultural experience for people to experience and explore Chinese history and culture.”

The trip is open to Hesston College students first, but the college is extending the invitation to anyone interested, including alumni and friends of the college, community members and others. Three hours of social science credit may be earned as part of the trip as well.

Most of the time will be spent in Beijing, the country’s capital city, with a three day trip to Xian, the first capital city of China and home to the famous terracotta warriors, made to protect the first emperor of China in his afterlife in the third century B.C.

Robert Peters, husband of Chunrong Li and a trained historian, helped Brown organize the details of the trip to make it authentic and allow participants to experience China in ways inaccessible to most tourists.

“This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Peters. “Most visitors to China see the artificial, elite, tourist side of things, but this trip is designed to give a truly indepth encounter with the real China and see what life is like for the typical Chinese person.”

The itinerary includes ancient attractions like Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, Ming Tombs and a variety of temples, museums and markets. With the connections and contacts Li has in her home country, the group will be able to experience the sites in a way most people cannot.

“Participants will do more than just walk along the Great Wall, they will get to learn what is underneath it, how it was built and how it is being restored,” said Peters. “They will learn that the best food is from a guy with a cart in a night market, not in the fancy restaurants.”

Availability for the trip is limited to 20 people, and the cost per person is based partially on the size of the group and the option of taking the trip for course credit, but is estimated to be between $3,200 and $3,800. All expenses, including airfare and other transportation, lodging, meals and admission to attractions are included in the cost.

“If someone were to take this same trip through a travel agency, it would cost about twice as much and would not offer the same quality or authenticity of the trip we put together for Hesston College,” said Peters.

“The point of this trip is to allow students and others to become educated in a deeper, more spiritual way with China,” said Brown. “China has a kind of mystique that we will be able to experience as we learn its history and culture and dialogue with religious communities, artists and normal people just living their lives.”

For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Tony Brown at 620-327-8285 or tonyhb@hesston.edu for.

Located 30 miles north of Wichita, Hesston College is the two-year liberal arts college of Mennonite Church USA.

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Contact: Rachel Schlegel, 620-327-8185, rachels@hesston.edu

Brown seen here visiting with a agent orange victim with his brother bill and relief worker Max Ediger.

Anthony Brown had the honor of visiting Viet Nam for two weeks in August. While there he attended a three and a half day  international conference. “I learned a great deal about the ongoing plight of agent orange victims in Viet Nam” says Brown.

Those impacted by agent orange pass on many kinds of illnesses to their offspring. Thousands of victims continue in Vietnam with limited assistance from the Viet Nam and American  government. There is a real need for financial. assistance for these children. Many live with their parents but need more comprehensive care.

Brown Visited several care centers in the major cities of the country singing to the victims and encouraging caregivers. He plans to advocate for these agent orange victims and share their stories with others in the United States.

Singer Brown (left) and an AO victim

Holding Brown’s hands, Phan Thanh Long, Chair of the Association of AO/dioxin Victims of Quang Ngai province, said: “It’s time to close the painful past to look to the peaceful future, to share the pain left by the war. During the process to seek justice for AO victims, we need sympathy from American friends like you.”

Long recalled the story about an American veteran who visited Quang Ngai three days ago, with his daughter. “It is a heart-break to see his daughter with sequels of AO. We hugged each other and cried,” Long said.

Singer Brown visited and presented gifts to some families of AO victims in Quang Ngai. He was obsessed by disabled children, victims of AO.

“I’m deeply moved and I admire AO victims’ resistance of pain and deprivation. When I return to the US, I will tell American people about them and call for their participation to struggle for justice for Vietnamese AO victims,” Brown said.

Vietnam has around 4.8 million people affected by AO.

Last week, Brown performed in Hanoi on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the AO disaster in Vietnam (August 10, 1961 – August 10, 2011). He had a field trip to Da Nang city to meet and present gifts to AO victims.

PV

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He founded Peacing It Together Foundation (“PITF”) in 2007 to support the idea that music can be a vital positive force for peace. Hesston College understands the value of this important work and is now partnering with PITF helping to support the foundation‟s work. Peacing It Together Foundation will collaborate with the college by organizing international experiences for students, alumni and friends who wish to learn about a specific region of the world and experience it firsthand.

The tour is sponsored by an independent group of peace activists and the Vietnam Association for  Victims of Agent Orange. The tour planners hope that Brown will take the stories he hears back to the United States to inform citizens about the situation of this vulnerable population in Vietnam.