Daily Inspiration: Meet Dr. Raymond Wise

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Raymond Wise.  

Dr. Wise, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Rev. Raymond Wise, Ph. D., I am a native of Baltimore, Md., and the son of C. Dexter Wise Jr. and Rev. Julia Virginia Wise. I began my musical career at three, singing gospel music with my family singing group “The Wise Singers.” I was educated through the Baltimore City Public School System and graduated second out of 500 from the Paul Laurence Dunbar Community High School in 1979. 

I went on to Denison University (Granville, Ohio), where he reorganized the Black Student Union Choir, started the Black Student Union Ensemble and Dance company, and earned a B.F.A. in Music. From there, I went on to study Opera, Art, and German at the Institute for European Studies in Vienna, Austria, then on to study African American History, Music, and Dance at San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California. I completed an apprenticeship in the business and recording of Gospel Music with the Walter Hawkins Corporation in Oakland, California. I was awarded a Graduate Fellowship from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where I earned my master’s in music education and Ohio Teacher’s Certification. I also completed a Doctorate in Music Education at the Ohio State University. My dissertation topic was “Defining African American Gospel Music by Tracing it’s Historical and Musical Development from 1900 to 2000.” 

Having grown up in a family of musicians, I saw the musicians in my family willingly teach anyone willing to learn. I saw them work with the most gifted to enhance their talents to greater excellence. I often saw my mother work with singers who were not as talented until they emerged as confident singers. I remember hearing my father say, “Always make people feel special. You never know whom you are working with and what you can draw from them if you look inside, not just on the outside.” This model and words of wisdom have directed my career path and caused me to create a welcoming environment wherever I share my musical gifts, especially within my classes. 

For my entire life, I have prepared to teach, research, and serve as a bridge to enable others to experience Black life through the lenses of African American gospel music. I do not believe music is for only the super talented, nor do I believe the music from my cultural tradition is only for those from my cultural community but for everyone open and willing to learn and embrace the music I have been equipped to share. Everyone can participate successfully in music at some level. These thoughts continually inform how I see my work as an educator and scholar in African American music. This philosophy informs my service as Professor and guides my pursuits to make music from the African American tradition accessible to all who are open and willing to be taught. 

My goal has been to use my education and experience to establish an accredited “Center For The Gospel Arts” in which “Gospel Music” and the “Gospel Arts” can be elevated, instructed, and promoted. To this end, I founded and served as President of Raise Productions (1985) along with Frank Lane, who serves as Vice President. Raise Productions is a gospel music production company (Columbus, Ohio) that promotes ongoing professionalism in gospel music. In addition, Raise has a publishing company and recording label through which it makes resources available to the gospel and academic communities. 

Raise has also developed performing groups throughout the United States and Europe, won Gospel Music Excellence Awards, produced musical reviews, plays, concerts, and recorded several albums. In addition, several Raise groups are national recording groups that have recorded on both the Raise Record label and various national gospel record labels. These groups include Raise Choir, Family, Raise Mass Choir, and Raise Kids. 

Raise established “The Center For The Gospel Arts” in 1989 to provide educational training for gospel artists and the community. I developed specialized curriculums in the gospel arts and texts for the CFGA, which has served and reached thousands since its opening. In addition, Raise has partnered with various seminaries and colleges throughout Ohio and the United States to develop gospel arts programming. 

I returned to school to complete graduate degrees. Shortly after returning to school and completing my postgraduate degrees, I was asked to develop courses in Gospel music and African American Music and Worship at The Ohio State University (1999, Columbus, Ohio), Denison, University (2000, Granville, Ohio), and Trinity Lutheran Seminary (2001, Columbus, Ohio). I serve as a Professor of Practice at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and as adjunct faculty at Trevecca University (Nashville, TN) and Trinity Lutheran Seminary. In addition, I serve as the Associate Director of the African American Arts Institute, an IU unit devoted to African American music and art’s perpetuation and performance. I conduct the African American Choral Ensemble. These academic appointments have allowed me to touch hundreds of students and provide exposure to and experience gospel music. 

For years, I have worked as an African American and gospel artist to have a seat at the academic table. I have diligently worked to include black gospel music in traditional college music curriculums. And share it worldwide. I have traveled the world as a culture bearer, teaching and performing gospel music and making it accessible to choirs and arts organizations. I have toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, and Asia as a singer, pianist, composer, teacher, lecturer, dancer, choreographer, and choral conductor for festivals and honor choirs. 

While there is still quite a distance to go before gospel music is incorporated into all academic music curriculums, I can certainly look back and see that I have been able to blaze a trail that has led to the inclusion and acceptance of black gospel music in many academic and non-church settings, where it had never been seen or heard. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Having grown up performing gospel music, it was no doubt that it would be a part of my musical focus. However, upon entering college, I quickly learned that gospel music was not welcomed or embraced in the classical music world. For many years, there had been an ongoing debate regarding the worthiness of gospel music to be included in traditional academic curriculums due to issues of vocal health, lack of printed scores, religious texts, inability for those outside of the gospel community to access and master the art form in order to provide instruction, and the overall omission or marginalization of black music and culture in the academy. 

As a student, performer, and lover of classical music, I was vexed by the comments and responses I received from classically trained faculty during my undergraduate education regarding my desire to perform and teach both classical and gospel music. I heard comments like, “This music is trash,” “You will ruin your voice,” and “You are wasting your time with gospel when you have the potential to be a successful classical artist.” Some of these comments were literally expressed to me, while others were inferred from the lack of support given to my non-classical musical endeavors. These actions told me that the cultural capital I brought to the table was not worthy of being included or honored. They told me that I did not belong unless I agreed and assimilated. 

For so many years, I was told that the music of my heritage was inferior to that of others in the majority culture. 

All of these messages, whether inferred or spoken, burned into my heart a vision that one day, the music for which I had a passion would be taught and embraced within academic settings, and students who desired to study and excel at this music would not be made to feel less than students who studied traditional classical music. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I began my acting career at the age of 9 when I played the role of Benjamin in a regional theater production of ‘The Me Nobody Knows”. I sang the role of Amahl in Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” As a teen, I served as a chorus member and soloist for the Baltimore Opera Company’s education outreach program. I performed nationally and abroad with the Paul Laurence Dunbar Chamber Singers under the direction of Hugh Carey. I have performed as a countertenor in such works as Handel’s Messiah and Leslie Burrs’ work entitled “Declaration of Joy,” written for gospel chorus, soloist, and orchestra. In addition, I performed the role of Marcus in the Opera Columbus premiere of Susan Kander’s opera entitled “Somebody’s Children.” I performed the solo for several of Copland’s Old American Songs with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. I served as a guest soloist, conductor, or composer with the Nashville, Littleton, Akron, Ithaca College, and Czech National Symphonies. 

I have served as a church music minister for more than 40 years. I have also served as the musical director for more than 30 choirs and have prepared choirs to perform for national recording artists such as Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Yolanda Adams, Tramaine Hawkins, Wintley Phipps, and others. I served as the Chorus Master for the world premiere of the Opera Columbus Production of Leslie Burrs’ “Vanqui” and Assistant Chorus Master for the Opera Columbus Production of “Aida.” In addition, I served as chorus master for Leslie Burrs’ “Declaration of Joy” and the Columbus Symphony production of Hannibal Lokumbe’s “African Portraits.” I also served as the musical director for Carlyle Brown’s production of “Yellow Moon.” I served as the Co-Musical director for “Harlem Hallelujah,” a live Sunday morning service at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. 

As a composer, I have penned more than 680 compositions performed and recorded by local, national, and international recording artists. Numerous national music publishers publish my works, including GIA, Hinshaw Music, Hal Leonard, Abingdon Press, MusicSpoke, and the United Methodist Publishing House. In addition, my works are in hymnals such as “Zion Still Sings,” the “Africana Hymnal,” and the “Lead Me Guide Me” Catholic Hymnal. In 2003, I released the Raymond Wise Choral Sheet Music Series, through which more than 200 of my Gospel, Spiritual, and Choral arrangements are available, and I serves as a writer/editor for the Raymond Wise Choral Series with Hinshaw Music Publishers. 

I have performed my compositions at Carnegie Hall and other major halls throughout the world, including the Kennedy Center and National Cathedral (Washington, DC.), Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Smetana Hall (Prague, Czech Republic), Shenzhen Grand Theater (Shenzhen, China), Chamsil Gymnasium Olympic Stadium (Seoul, Korea). 

My notable works include “Afro-American Suite,” written for Bass-Baritone and Chorus. I co-wrote the script for “God What Color Is Trouble” with director Ron Pitts and have written the music for more than 20 original musical theater productions, including Dwight Collin’s “Dark Symphony,” the Samuel S. Davis production of “The Snow Queen,” and the Amera-flora production of “Listen With Your Heart.” I composed the musical score for the children’s opera “Barefoot.” Barefoot, originally composed to be performed by Opera Columbus’ educational outreach program, has also been performed by The Children’s Theater Company of Winston-Salem and Winston-Salem State University, in which Dr. Maya Angelou performed the role of narrator. I composed a suite for bassoon and piano entitled “This Far By Faith.” I recently completed an art song cycle for soprano and piano entitled “Stargazing,” based on the life of Elizabeth Breckenridge. 

In 2004 I released an anthology of Spirituals entitled “21 Spirituals for the 21st Century,” which features 23 of his concert spiritual arrangements. This anthology has received national and international acclaim. Since releasing the 21 Spiritual collections, I have received commissions and invitations to compose original works for the Penn State University Spiritual Festival and Winterfest, The American Spiritual’s Ensemble, The AME Congress 145th Anniversary Celebration, the International Spiritual’s Festival held in honor of Moses Hogan in Prague, the Czech Republic in the summer of 2008, the Springfield Mass Unity Festival, the Trenton Children’s Chorus, the Blooming Songs Children’s music project, The American Choral Director’s Association, and others. 

I studied ballet, jazz, modern, tap, African, ethnic, and experimental dance. I performed on the East Coast with the Baltimore Dance Theater Company, Baltimore, Md., under artistic director Eva Anderson, and on the West Coast with the EMBAJE Dance Ensemble from San Francisco State University under artistic director Dr. Alberta Rose. Since then, I have taught and instructed dance at The Samuel S. Davis Youth Complex for the Performing Arts and the King Complex for the Visual and Performing Arts, both in Columbus, Ohio. 

I have been a choreographer for many theatrical productions and instructed tap dance and liturgical dance at the Center for the Gospel Arts and liturgical dance companies. I was recently honored by the City of Columbus for my contribution to dance with a portrait on the Long Street Cultural Wall, a 60-panel display of artists in Columbus, Ohio. 

I have served as a church musician for more than 45 years. I have appeared on radio and television, recorded 25 albums, performed with opera singers, orchestras, dance companies, and professional recording groups, and served as a choral conductor for festivals and honor choirs. 

I recently received EMMY, Telly, and 1st Place Society of Professional Journalist Awards for my work as a writer and conductor for the PBS documentary film “Amen: Music of the Black Church.” This documentary was picked up for distribution by American Public Television and will air for the next four years. I am excited to announce the release of a new CD entitled “Inspire Me” (April 2023), which features the African American Choral Ensemble of Indiana University performing 10 of my signature inspirational songs. In addition, I anticipate the pending release of his new book, “What Happened to Gospel Music?” published by Cascade Press. 

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I love the creative process. As a composer, I enjoy creating new works and then seeing others bring them to life through performance. What blesses me most is when my works have a transformative impact on those who perform them and hear them. I am happy when I see the joy that comes from performing and singing from the heart. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.raiseonline.com
• Other:  https://aaai.indiana.edu/ensembles/choral/index.html

Image Credits
Mia Beach