Yamma Ensemble in Charleston, Illinois

By Eric Young Smith, tour manager

Sunday morning came early, and we left the still-sleeping village of Saugatuck behind us to arrive that afternoon in Charleston, Illinois for a special event. Our next residency was to be hosted by Eastern Illinois University’s Doudna Fine Arts Center.

On our first night in town, Yamma Ensemble was invited to attend a concert performance by the famed Blind Boys of Alabama. We were met in the lobby of the Doudna Fine Arts Center by the 3-Ds: Dan Crews (Director of Patron Services), Dwight Vaught (Assistant Dean of Programming), and Dennis Malak (Stage/Technical Director).

The three embodied quiet confidence and cooperative strength, and I appreciated their assuring, welcoming smiles. I likened them to superheroes. We all knew we were in a good place as they provided seats for us in a crowded concert hall and The Blind Boys prepared to hit the stage. The theater was beautiful and every seat was taken. The Blind Boys put on an inspired show of Southern Gospel music that left every hand clapping and every foot stomping!

Monday morning found us meeting Dan at our hotel for an early departure. It was a good thing we started early, since we had quite a drive ahead of us. As we headed out of town and over the rural highways through Central Illinois, the ensemble members made comments about how big the sky was in rural Illinois – how far the horizon. This must be a landscape quite different from the view they might find through a car window back home in Israel. Even though I am originally a Midwesterner, I, too, was awed by the immense expanse of these farm lands, and the remoteness of the communities we were driving to meet.

As the week progressed, Dan became even more of a superhero in my mind. The effort that goes into Doudna’s outreach programs is immense and Dan’s enthusiasm stretched Doudna’s influence for sixty miles or more in every direction.

It was a demanding week for Yamma with very early mornings and a lot of time spent driving from school to school. The kids took it all in — clapping, dancing, and asking insightful questions during all the workshops.

High school workshop in Illinois. Photo by Eric Young Smith.