Michael Jacobs, a Christian musical artist and a Cherokee, will be performing on campus free of charge this spring, thanks to the Office of Multicultural Enrichment.
The concert is one of the main events sponsored by the OME this year. It will be at 8 p.m. April 5 in the Williams Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
Jacobs has been in the music business for almost 10 years. He is known for writing and singing not just about issues facing Native Americans, but also about human issues such as peace, suffering, the environment and justice.
Jacobs has performed at more than 150 colleges and universities in 25 states. He also has received many awards during his career. According to his Web site, www.sacrednation.com, his debut album received the 2003 Native American Music Award for the Best Independent Recording; his third album won the 2006 Indian Summer Music Award, and his latest album earned two 2008 Indian Summer Music Awards for Best Pop Recording and Best Rock Recording. Director of Multicultural Enrichment George Pendergrass commented on the novelty of Jacobs’ music.
“It’s Native American music fused with contemporary music, and it fascinates me,” Pendergrass said.
Before his evening concert, Jacob will speak in a class and at a small group Chapel in the WPAC that morning. He will also perform a concert exclusively for ACU students at 4 p.m., also in the WPAC. The concert is intended primarily for music majors and students interested in the music industry. Jacobs’ time at Chapel and his afternoon concert will include a question and answer period.
“Several students on our campus are interested in music careers,” Pendergrass said. “A lot of our students want to know what that’s like; they want to see the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Pendergrass said the OME is excited to have Jacobs come to campus, since Jacobs addresses many issues of social justice, and ACU works hard to address many of the same topics.
“Our school is trying desperately to get rid of the major polarization that exists and is trying to bring light to the plight of minorities,” Pendergrass said.
During his concerts, Jacobs almost always leaves time to address the issues he writes and sings about. Pendergrass’s graduate assistant Laza Razafimanjato, a graduate student of higher education from Antananarivo, Madagascar, said Jacobs’ concerts do not have much structure.
“When he performs, he performs based on how he feels at that time,” Razafimanjato said.
Jacobs said he is looking forward to performing at ACU for the first time.
“I’m excited to engage people in meaningful dialogue,” he said.
Jacobs said he thinks many sensitive issues in our culture are the ones that need to be discussed the most and loves to do his part to make a difference.
“People don’t realize the wealth of different cultures,” Jacobs said. “I’m just trying to do my part in affecting social change.”
