The A Cappella Choir of Wiley College is engaged in music ministry and outreach this week in Japan. The International Association of Methodist-related Schools, Colleges, and Universities, IAMSCU, invited the choir to sing throughout the week at its conference in Hiroshima on “Peace, Reconciliation, and Human Rights.” More than 800 schools around the world are affiliated with IAMSCU.
Recently, the choir sang at Opening Convocation for the conference, and it participated in a Peace and Cultural Exchange Program with students at Honkawa Elementary School. Following agenda included community outreach, the choir performed during the IAMSCU closing ceremony, and the choir will sang at Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School and Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo.
“Our students’ engagement in this unique outreach music ministry and mission will sow the seeds for new friendships and bolster their appreciation and respect for a broader range of social and cultural ideas,” said Dr. Haywood L. Strickland, President and CEO of Wiley College. “We extend warm thanks and gratitude to the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities for inviting us to the conference and to The United Methodist Church, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, Wiley board trustees, alumni, and friends for the generous support that has made this trip possible.”
Twenty members of Wiley’s 100-voice A Cappella Choir made the trip to Japan. And while traveling abroad was a new experience for these students, they have traveled extensively in the United States to perform with the full choir, garnering accolades wherever they sing. The choir performed holiday concerts at the White House in 2011 and 2013.
“The experience of being in Japan and meeting people from different countries, cultures, and ethnicities has been amazing,” said Wiley senior Alicia Amos. “I look forward to sharing memories and stories with my children in the future.”
