By way of Asia, Europe, Australia, North America and Africa

THE JOURNEY OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL TRAVELER

It is said that our lives are predestined.  Although, there are many paths we could take, we often end on the road we were destined to have traveled.

Sometimes the road is quite different than what we may have imagined. Yet, can many of us say we:

Transcribed  music for the great Ragtime composer Eubie Blake.

Met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and participated in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s

Lectured, taught, conducted performed on Broadway and through out five continents

Collaborated on a children’s book with by sports legend Muhammad Ali

orOrchestrated music for the Duke Ellington Orchestra

Appointed the “American Cultural Specialist” by the United States Information Agency

Represented the United States as the cultural liaison in Africa .

These wonderful events are only a few of the many paths Gwen Moten has traveled as an international artist.  They combine to become a compelling story of the search for a destiny.

If it had not been for the intercession of her mother, Gwen Moten would have been one of the tragic Civil Rights victims in the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama; the bombing that killed four little girls. One of them was Gwen’s best friend.

Now this woman of destiny has taken her story to the concert/lecture stage. Through song and prose she tells of her world travels, her historic ventures, and her encounters with international celebrities.  She tells of her destiny – a destiny to learn, to perform, and to share.

Listen to stories about a child’s view of southern urban American life before and during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s.  What was an African American’s firsthand view of pre and post election South Africa? How do you move from being an average American citizen to representing your country and responding t o questions about international trade and human resources?

Some stories are not historic.  Some stories tell of firsthand events in the lives of people like John Wayne, Muhammad Ali, Harry Belafonte, Debbie Allen, Jimi Hendrix and Leslie Uggums.

This is a journey from learning how to listen, how to gain knowledge, how to assist and support, and how to become a spokesperson with an accepted world view.

Her performances have been globally met with standing ovations and with tears of joy.  As she traces the culture  of the ancient African empires, explains and performs the music of the enslaved Negro people, shares the emotions of the Civil Rights Movement, and gives insight into her international travels, you will leave her performances saying “What a wonderful living history lesson!”

The impact of her life experiences have been so profound that several public and private undergraduate schools and colleges have integrated her stories into their social, history and English language curricula.

From churches to synagogues, from college campuses to major corporations, Gwen Moten’s stories have been shared as journeys that few of us ever travel ...except through her.

Event considerations for this program

(or a portion of the presentation):

Multi-Cultural Programs

African American Heritage Month

Women’s History Month

Rev.Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Educational Programs and Curricula

Faith-based Programs and Services

College and University Student Lectures

Community-based Organizational Programming

Music Conferences

Career Lectures

theatreworldmusicservice.com

gwenmoten@aol.com

888.427.6444