Music Is in Their DNA | God's World News

Music Is in Their DNA

05/01/2020
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    The band records albums together when not touring and performing on stage. (Annie Moses Band)
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    Several members of the band studied music at the Julliard School for the performing arts in New York City. (Annie Moses Band)
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    Family is important to the band, which takes its name from a great-grandmother, Annie Moses. (Annie Moses Band)
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    The band records albums together when not touring and performing on stage. (Annie Moses Band)
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Upscale Americana music fills the room as violinists dance across the stage. The strings are virtuosic. The vocals are electric. These classically trained musicians transform the art of musical presentation. Original compositions showcase the Annie Moses Band’s talent as it blends jazz, progressive folk, and classical music into its own style.  

The Annie Moses Band loves to perform, but even these avid performers took an extended fermata. In musical terms, a fermata is an unexpected interval of silence. The band paused concerts due to the coronavirus outbreak. It decided to halt large-gathering public appearances until it was safe to perform again.

But the rest won’t stop the band’s mission, which is to reclaim the arts for the glory of God. The band members’ heritage is unique. Music is in their blood.

Coming together as a musical group fulfills a family legacy. Annie, Alex, Benjamin, Camille, Gretchen, and Jeremiah are the six Wolaver siblings that make up the band. Their father is a composer, and their mother is a lyricist. The band bears the name of great-grandmother Annie Moses. Though she had few resources as a poor sharecropper, Annie Moses invested in the musical talents of her daughter. That investment continues to grow generations later.

Collectively, the Wolaver siblings have mastered cello, guitar, harp, keyboard, mandolin, voice, viola, and violin. Several trained at New York City’s esteemed Juilliard School for the performing arts. The band’s résumé is impressive, as is their mission to raise up a new generation of skilled artists who are committed to God’s truth.

The arts and entertainment industry is powerful in shaping people’s perspectives. The Annie Moses Band longs to fill the arts world with excellence and moral integrity. “Music is something that’s built into the DNA and the biology of people. When we hear a major chord, it sounds happy. A minor chord sounds sad. When we hear stories in songs, they mean something more deeply to us,” says band member Annie Wolaver Dupre.

The Annie Moses Foundation is the band’s non-profit organization. It pours resources into aspiring artists. The foundation’s mission is clear: “Create a space in our society where Truth can flourish.” The foundation offers a two-week summer performing arts intensive workshop for artists. It also promotes the Annie Moses Conservatory, a nine-month music school. To offer protection from the coronavirus, the organization moved conservatory classes online. 

“Conservatory” comes from the Latin word “conservare,” meaning “to preserve.” The Annie Moses Band is preserving the fine arts for the glory of God.

Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. — Psalm 33:3