Bringing history to life on “The Road to Freedom”

The Lenoir-Rhyne University A Cappella Choir spent March 21-27 on their collaborative and historic tour “The Road to Freedom” with the Southeastern Louisiana University Choir. The program and the route traced the path of the 1961 Freedom Rides, as the choirs performed at sites from Maryland to Mississippi. Along the way, students explored museums, met civil rights leaders and collaborated with ensembles throughout the southeast. 

Music major Abby Triplette ’27, who performed a solo in the program, described the tour as “a unique opportunity to learn about history in a way that’s really hands-on. We weren’t just reading about it — we saw the artifacts, met the people and performed their stories. That closeness makes you feel the weight of what happened and the hope in the movement.” 

Students began the tour with varying levels of background knowledge of the Freedom Riders and the Civil Rights Movement, based on what they might have learned in high school. Following in the Freedom Riders steps not only expanded their understanding of these events but made them relevant. 

A formative moment was meeting Hezekiah Watkins, the youngest of the Freedom Riders who now works at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Watkins was just 13 when he was arrested at the Greyhound Bus Station in Jackson for participating in the Freedom Rides. He was sent to Parchman Penitentiary and placed on death row, yet continued his activism for decades, enduring more than 100 arrests and eventually earning recognition from the 112th U.S. Congress for his lifelong service. 

Music and theatre major, and narrator for “The Road to Freedom,” Megan Bedingfield ’28, described the impact of meeting him: 

“Having Mr. Watkins at our last performance was incredibly powerful. To hear from someone who lived through the stories we were sharing and see him moved to tears reassured us that we had done something right in our performance.” 

Triplette described a more emotional reaction to performing in front of Watkins: “Seeing a Freedom Rider in the audience was unforgettable — I met his eyes while we were singing ‘Buses Are A-Coming,’ and he was singing along. It was a beautiful moment of unity.” 

The program, assembled by director of choral activities at Lenoir-Rhyne, Ryan Luhrs, Ph.D. and director of choral activities at Southeastern Louisiana, Frances Fonza, Ph.D., combined traditional spiritual music with protest songs and included dramatic portrayals of real figures from the movement. Human and community services and theatre major Gabriel Tarpley ’26 played civil rights leader Bernard Lafayette, a key organizer of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1961, who passed away in early March 2026. 

“We visited Mr. Lafayette’s memorial at one of the museums,” Tarpley said. “Seeing that memorial changed my perspective — the Civil Rights Movement didn’t happen 100 years ago. A lot of people who fought for freedom are still alive today, and the people and prejudice they were fighting against are also still alive today. It makes you think about how to keep making the world better.” 

Collaboration and musical growth were also central to the experience. The two touring choirs were joined by local ensembles at every stop, including choirs from Laurel High School in Maryland, North Carolina A&T University, Campbel High School in Georgia, Tougaloo College, Jackson State University and Alabama State University. The collaborative effort helped the choir members learn to blend differing energies, sounds and approaches to the music. 

“Performing with all new people during the tour, while intimidating at first, was probably the aspect that made this program click,” said Bedingfield. “The Lenoir-Rhyne A Cappella Choir and the Southeastern Louisiana Choir offered two different sounds, energies and even versions of our pieces. Then we brought in the other guest choirs. It was an amazing form of collaboration, and we were all one choir on those stages.” 

Triplette observed the collaboration also challenged her musical knowledge and stretched her vocal skills. 

“We were singing gospel-style pieces, which as an opera-style singer pushed me to use my voice differently — to control it and sing in a way that would connect with the audience emotionally,” she said. “It wasn’t just about hitting notes; it was about making people feel the music and the story.” 

The tour also fostered personal growth and community among the students. Tarpley emphasized the connections made on the road. 

“Getting to meet and connect with students from different backgrounds who look different, act different, talk different — it made the experience richer,” he said. “We shared our stories and perspectives while performing together.” 

Local audiences can experience this unique blend of history and music at LR’s final home performance of The Road to Freedom on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in Grace Chapel, free and open to the public. 

“You don’t normally see choirs tell history like this,” said Tarpley. “We want people standing, singing along and feeling the spirit. This is not just a concert — it’s an experience that brings the audience into the story and the music.”