North Carolina Wesleyan College - Dissenter Yearbook (Rocky Mount, NC)

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.lQ..-.-- an. il. lu'4 ' T' llll ' . ,-,.,... flll!!!lw k .l'T1' 4 Soon after lohn XX'riollen was appointed chairman of thi- Social Commission, in tht- spring of '68, he and Dean ,-Xlexanrler began formulating plans lint a three-part concert series, The series would consist ot conterts by the Platters, Amanda Ambrose and the Wayfarers, T-Rs the fall of the year approached, lohn and his stah' went ahead full steam presenting the idea to the Wesleyan community and malsing the series a reality. An extensive ticlset promotion began with letters sent to all students explaining the series and ended with a final ticilset sales drive the week before the first concert. The first weekend in October, the Platters concert was held. With five vocalists on stage, the walls of Everett Gymnasium vibrated to the sounds of traditional Platters hits such as With This Ring and This Magic Moment , They played to a capacity crowd, lseeping them dazed with the duality of their soul The Platters especially pleased the audience by dedicating songs to them Termed a huge success by the Commission, the Platters provided the series with a good beginning.

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CONCERT HI: THE PLATTERS 41

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for the second part of the Social Comm ission's Concert Series. A lean figure, she sat at the piano that evening and began to sing, her entire being could be felt surrounding the audience. With soul in every movement, the slender hands of an accompolished pianist accompanied a voice of depth, perception, emotion and power which seemed to manufacture stage presence beyond belief, As if in suspended animation, the audience remained totally silent as the words This is my love, this is my life, resounded in the gym, actually leaving the audience breathless. After hearing this, to remain in one's seat was an impossibility, the members of the audience, totally unified, rose from their chairs to award Miss Ambrose with a standing ovation, and this was merely for the first half of her show. The second half proved to be as extraordinary as the first. Her choice of songs revealed her personality and her philosophy: that each one of us needs the other, one must grant a being its beingnessf' and that one need only bring points of one's life to one's awareness to find peace. Variety in mood and direction was also exihibited in her choice of songs, among them: Lady Madonna , Homeward Bound and Bessie Mae Mucho . Enthusiasm for the concert series continued with Amandafs visit. The Wayfarers were to come in early spring. 28