It's no doubt that many Penn students enjoy the music of popular artists like Bob Marley, Janet Jackson and Aaliyah. But for the 19 members of The Inspiration -- Penn's first and only a cappella group that celebrates music written or performed by artists of African descent -- these artists generate a unifying passion for music that has given the group 15 years of acclamation on Penn's campus.
Founded in 1989 with 13 members and now celebrating its 15th anniversary, The Inspiration prides itself on the fact that not only are its members focused on entertainment and performance, but they are also focused on educating and serving the Penn community.
As a tribute to its 15th anniversary, this year's group has decided to educate community members and students by circulating "spotlights" on specific artists of the African Diaspora. The group chooses these artists out of personal interest but tries to highlight those who have overcome struggles or have made a great impact on the music industry. Past artists have included Luther Vandross and William Grant Still. Ella Fitzgerald and Marian Anderson will be featured in the upcoming months.
"We've been distributing the spotlights across campus in college houses and frequented buildings," The Inspiration General Manager and College sophomore Morgan Whitmire says. "We want to educate Penn students about the artists we focus on and might not be ones that necessarily everyone has heard of."
Another way the group is educating the community is by hosting its very first music forum. It will be moderated by Music professor Guthrie Ramsey and will consist of a panel that will discuss some of the issues and controversies in music today.
"It's going to be audience-directed and deal with how black music has changed from its roots," says the ensemble's President and College sophomore Rasika Chakravarthy. "We hope to discuss some of the controversies like the Janet Jackson scandal, how the media influences music and how black music has become so popularized."
Even after 15 years of fame at Penn, the loyalty and intimacy of the group members has remained the same.
"We're a very close-knit group and consider ourselves a family," Chakravarthy says. "We have a really close relationship with our alumni, whom we keep in frequent contact with, and some of whom visit regularly. We even had a member graduate from Penn undergrad and return to the group when he returned to Penn for his MBA."
Indeed, this was the case for graduate student Curtis Redding, who just could not get enough of the music and the support he received from the group and its members.
As an "undergrad, I wanted to join because I loved the music repertoire and the seriousness of the performers," says Redding, who is studying for his master's in liberal arts. "I couldn't wait to have an opportunity to sing the music that I listened to growing up, doing Saturday morning choirs with my mother ... and as a graduate student, it was an opportunity to rekindle those feelings."
The Inspiration enjoys performing current, more popular songs like those by Lauryn Hill and India Arie but also has a taste for the classics of Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. According to Chakravarthy, members take great pride in the traditions of the group and the history of African performing arts.
"We try to remain true to the foundation that was set back in the fall of 1989 when the group was founded," Redding says. "The involvement of the African race in the field of the arts has been of profound significance. Ultimately, it has been a cradle of power nurtured throughout generations."
And today, it is clear that the group is using that power to educate, entertain and serve the Penn community.
This semester, the group has developed a relationship with SHOOP -- the Student Hospice Organization of Penn -- where members sing for patients of the Wissahickon Hospice of Penn Home Care & Services to make their stay a bit more comfortable. They will also be singing for a group of elementary school children in an after-school program.
"We're basically trying to do a little something for the community with what we have, our voices," Chakravarthy says. "You can be sure that this attempt will expand in the semesters to come."
In addition to setting up forums and distributing spotlights, The Inspiration is preparing for one of its biannual concerts, as well as preparing for the release of its 15th anniversary CD, entitled Third Set Formal: Soul'd Out.
