Annie Moses - American Rhapsody
Tuesday, September 12, 2017 – 7:30 PM
VPAC at OCCC
Presented By
The Annie Moses Band (AMB) is composed of five extraordinary musicians from the same family tree with a sound all their own. They call it chamber pop, a spicy blend of classical, jazz, and pop mixed with some good ol’ fashioned country.
The band was formed in 2002 but that wasn’t the beginning of the group. These Nashville natives are sibling performers who began their musical instruction at early ages (each began around four years old). They played their first performance as an ensemble when Annie (vocalist/violinist) was nine, Alex (violinist/singer) was seven, and Benjamin (cellist) was five. Their father, Bill, is a professional songwriter/arranger/pianist, and their mother, Robin, is a professional lyricist/singer. They have 25 years of experience in the Christian music industry. Bill and Robin composed "Make His Praise Glorious" in 1988. Sandi Patti recorded the song, and it was No. 1 on the Christian radio charts for seven weeks straight. Success of the song jump started their writing careers.
When Annie was 15, the family moved to New York City where Annie, Alex and Benjamin were accepted into the pre-college division of the Juilliard School. Juilliard was thrilling and challenging, and despite the fact that their long-term goal had been to establish careers in classical music, the children felt God’s call in a different direction. They wanted to begin a music group that would combine a spiritual message with musical excellence. They continued their studies while writing, praying and performing.
They considered the name for their band. They wanted to choose a name that would honor and remember their great-grandmother, Annie Moses. “Annie was a hard-working woman,” says Annie. “Her life was one of daily toil and hardship but God blessed her because of her faithfulness.” Annie gave birth to three children and the middle child, Jane, married a missionary who had four children. (Robin is Jane’s daughter.)
After three years of study at Juilliard, the family moved back to Nashville to pursue the AMB as a full-time ministry. They are in their fourth year as a music group and minister to families. “In today’s society, families are diminished and the generational gap is growing even larger,” says Annie. “But God’s desire is to bridge the divide – to unify families through love for one another and glorify Himself through excellence.”
Annie, Alex, Benjamin and Camille (keyboard) are full-time members of the band. Gretchen (mandolin) and Jeremiah (banjo and guitar) play with the family on occasion.
Today AMB performs their unique sound of pop, country and jazz in over 100 concerts each year. Their passion: to reclaim the world of the arts by musically educating the very young. They are dedicated to the vision of Psalm 150. “The important thing is that the concept of music is not an afterthought of God,” says Annie. Robin is writing a book on how to impart love for the arts in children at an early age and Annie is working on curriculum for playing the violin.
Annie says, “The Annie Moses Band is really a celebration of four generations of that legacy of faith and family and music coming together and hopefully creating something that’s a very powerful message for our generation.”
