Mixed Magic Exult Choir presents ‘Exultation’
PAWTUCKET – Gospel, soul, rhythm and blues, pop, rock and show tunes are in the mix as Mixed Magic Exult Choir presents its “Exultation Concert: An Evening to Uplift the Spirit,” on Feb. 27 at the Providence Performing Arts Center.
Musical magic is on the program as well, because “We know the healing force of music as we come to be with other people, come to make something beautiful,” says Ricardo Pitts-Wiley.
Ricardo and his wife, Bernadet, are co-founders of this city’s Mixed Magic Theatre, where the Exult Choir was founded 15 years ago to perform and preserve gospel music on a local level.
In recent years, the choir’s repertoire has expanded to music as diverse as Prince to Bob Dylan, Motown to rock, even Broadway hits – elements reflected in this concert.
“The program is divided into movements,” Pitts-Wiley says, organized not by genre but by how the songs “make contact with the human spirit.”
That’s why a song like Jackie Wilson’s “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher” is on the program with songs such as “Wade in the Water,” a gospel mainstay; “The Weight,” performed by Bob Dylan and written by Robbie Robertson, his lead guitarist; and the Isley Brothers’ “Shout.”
“That’s a song that does what it’s saying,” Pitts-Wiley notes. “It makes you want to put your hands up and shout, and we hope we make them (audience members) stand up and sing along with us.”
In between movements, choir director Kim Pitts-Wiley will provide narration that explains “why we chose the songs,” he says.
Guest artists add unique contributions, like the violinist known professionally as Big Lux, although fellow students in the Class of 2000 at Westerly High School knew him as Kevin Lowther II. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he did a tour of duty in Iraq, and his assignment to search out bombs is reflected in one of his hip hop-influenced compositions.
“He comes with great energy,” Pitts-Wiley says.
Jazz artist Richard “Ritchee” Price is a vocalist and trumpet player who has performed with Lionel Hampton at the Newport Jazz Festival, in Europe and Japan, and with Count Basie at Carnegie Hall. He also has taught in local schools, including Portsmouth Middle School and Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick.
“We looked for artists who have talent and great spirit,” Pitts-Wiley adds, “and Rachael Warren has both.” A company member at Trinity Rep since 2002, Warren’s resume includes performances at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Goodspeed Opera.
The gospel community is most familiar with local singer Barbara Bryant, recognized for her moving way with music. “She is a perfect example of economy of motion,” Pitts-Wiley says of her unaffected performance style. “She just lets her voice come out.”
Completing the roster of guest artists is dancer Kou Nyan and 7-year-old singer and poet Joshua Pitts-Wiley. “He’s quite the performer,” says his grandfather, Ricardo.
It’s up to choir director Kim Pitts-Wiley to keep the program on track, perhaps calling on experiences as a former officer with the Rhode Island Army National Guard, and with her musical family; her grand uncle was Robert White of the Funk Brothers, Motown’s in-house studio band.
“We’ll cover a lot a musical ground, and have lots of fun,” Pitts-Wiley concludes.
“Exultation: An Evening to Uplift the Spirit” takes place Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St. Tickets are $20-$60 and available online at ppacri.org/events or at the box office in the theater.