Raise Productions

These five pillars became the framework through which Raise Productions has served communities for four decades.

A Ministry Through the Arts

Though Raise Productions and the Raise Center for the Gospel Arts were never established as churches, the organization has always viewed itself first as a ministry. Rooted in Christian principles, Raise has sought to nurture the spiritual, artistic, and educational development of individuals through gospel music and the arts.

The organization developed a philosophy known as “Total Music Training,” which combines oral gospel traditions with formal musical education. Through this approach, students are trained to serve effectively in churches, educational institutions, performance venues, and multicultural artistic environments. Raise has consistently emphasized excellence in musicianship while maintaining the spiritual integrity and cultural authenticity of gospel music.

Education: Teaching the Gospel Arts

Education has always been central to the mission of Raise Productions. Beginning in a small house at 110 North 22nd Street in Columbus, Raise initially offered piano and voice lessons, gospel music workshops, musician referral services, and community arts programming.

As the organization grew, Raise expanded its programming into larger facilities, including the King Complex for the Cultural and Performing Arts in 1989, where classes broadened to include preschool and elementary piano instruction, voice training, musical theater, teen theater, tap dance, and gospel arts productions.

In 1992, Raise established the Raise Center for the Gospel Arts at 2572 Cleveland Avenue. This became a landmark educational and ministry center where Raise offered between twenty and forty classes weekly for preschool children, youth, college students, adults, aspiring ministers, and church musicians.

Programs included:

• Gospel piano and voice instruction
• Dance and theater
• Creative writing and public speaking
• Worship leadership training
• Bible and spiritual growth classes
• Ministerial development programs
• Intensive training for church musicians and worship leaders

One of Raise’s most influential educational initiatives was the All-Day Gospel Arts Summer Camp, which provided multidisciplinary training for children ages 6–12 in piano, voice, dance, theater, art, creative writing, and public speaking. Camp participants annually created original musical productions and recorded children’s gospel music projects.

The gospel pedagogy developed through Raise Productions and Dr. Wise’s scholarship would eventually influence gospel music education throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Today, Raise educational materials and curriculum models continue to be used in colleges, seminaries, churches, and arts organizations around the world.

Performance: Exemplifying Excellence

Raise Productions became widely recognized for its musical excellence through its choirs, ensembles, concerts, theatrical productions, and community performances.

Founded in 1986, Raise Choir emerged from the successful Choir Revival City-Wide Festival and quickly became one of Columbus’ premier gospel ensembles. Under the direction of Dr. Wise, Raise Choir developed a diverse repertoire that included Negro spirituals, traditional hymns, gospel classics, sacred choral literature, and contemporary gospel music.

The choir’s commitment to artistic excellence led to performances throughout the United States and internationally, including appearances in:

• Germany
• Austria
• Portugal
• Romania

Raise ensembles have appeared in concert halls, churches, festivals, symphonic collaborations, and theatrical productions worldwide. Raise has collaborated with major arts organizations including:

• Columbus Symphony Orchestra
• Opera Columbus
• Lancaster Festival
• Ohio State University
• McDonald’s Gospel Festival
• Columbus Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

Raise Choir also participated in major productions such as:

• African Portraits by Hannibal Lokumbe
• Aida with Opera Columbus
• the world premiere of Vanqui

Members of the Raise family have performed alongside nationally recognized artists including:

• Diana Ross
• Kenny Rogers
• Yolanda Adams
• Tramaine Hawkins

Raise members also participated in national touring gospel theatrical productions and television appearances, extending the organization’s influence far beyond Columbus.

Production: Sharing the Gospel Through Media and Publishing

Raise Productions has made lasting contributions to gospel music through recording, publishing, media production, and scholarly resources.

Through Raise Records and publishing initiatives, the organization produced more than twenty recordings featuring Raise Choir, Raise Kids, Dr. C. Dexter Wise III, and other gospel artists. Notable recording projects include:

• I Ain’t Into That featuring the Rappin’Reverend Dr. C. Dexter Wise, III
• Jesus You Brought Me (Raise Productions Choir)
• New (Raise Productions Choir)
• A Raise Christmas (Raise Choir, Raise Mass, Family)
• Familiar Songs and Saying (Rev. Raymond Wise and Family)
• Gospel Songs for children’s Voice (Raise Kids)
• It’s Time To Go (Raise Mass Choir)
• More Gospel Songs for children’s Voice (Raise Kids)
• Raise Kids in Praise (Raise Kids)
• A Raise Kids Christmas (Raise Kids)
• A Raise Kids Resurrection (Raise Kids)
• Bridegroom Songs I & II (Raise Mass Choir)
• 21 Spirituals for the 21st Century (Raise Chorale)
• Classic Raise: The Best of Raise Choir (Raise Productions Choir)

The acclaimed 21 Spirituals for the 21st Century project received international recognition for preserving and reimagining African American spirituals for contemporary audiences.

Raise also established the Raymond Wise Choral Series, through which more than 200 gospel, spiritual, and sacred choral compositions have been published and distributed worldwide. Raise educational materials and publications now appear through nationally recognized publishers including:

• Hal Leonard
• GIA Publications
• Hinshaw Music
• MusicSpoke

Today, Raise music is performed by choirs across the world and has been heard in internationally renowned venues including:

• Carnegie Hall
• The Kennedy Center
• National Cathedral
• Berlin Philharmonie
• Smetana Hall in the Czech Republic

Raise additionally partnered with Christian television networks and media organizations to produce special broadcasts, including A Raise Christmas.

Support Services: Strengthening Churches and Communities

Throughout its history, Raise Productions has provided extensive support services to churches, musicians, artists, and the broader community.

Among its earliest outreach efforts were:

• Church musician referral services
• The “Dial-A-Concert” gospel event hotline
• Choir workshops and revival festivals
• Worship leadership training
• Music ministry consulting
• Mentorship for young artists and ministers

Raise became a vital support network for churches and gospel artists by providing training, educational resources, networking opportunities, and leadership development.

The organization also developed strategic partnerships with colleges, universities, seminaries, churches, and arts organizations throughout the country to expand gospel arts education and ministry opportunities.

Ministry: Transforming Lives Through the Gospel Arts

At its heart, Raise Productions has always been a ministry devoted to transformation through the gospel arts.

For four decades, Raise has impacted countless lives by creating spaces where faith, creativity, scholarship, and cultural heritage intersect. Through music, worship, teaching, mentorship, and artistic expression, Raise has inspired generations of musicians, ministers, educators, and young people to discover and develop their God-given gifts.

Many former Raise students and members now serve as:

• Pastors
• Worship leaders
• Professional musicians
• Educators
• Recording artists
• Choir directors
• Scholars
• Arts administrators

The influence of Raise Productions continues to multiply through the lives and ministries of those it has trained and inspired.

The Raise Family of Ministries

As Raise Productions expanded, it developed numerous performing groups and ministries that broadened its community impact, including:

• Raise Family
• Raise Teen Theater
• Raise Mass Choir
• Raise Signers, Dancers, and Tappers
• Raise Kids
• Raise Mass Male Chorus
• Raise National Mass Choir
• Raise Family Mass Choir
• Raise Chorale

These ministries engaged children, youth, adults, families, and churches through music, theater, dance, sign ministry, and worship arts programming. Together, they helped establish Raise Productions as one of the most influential gospel arts organizations in the region.

Honors and Recognition

Over the years, Raise Productions has received numerous awards and honors recognizing its excellence in music, ministry, education, and community service, including:

• Governor’s Awards for Arts Excellence
• Gospel Music Excellence Awards
• Artist of the Year honors
• Large Choir of the Year honors
• Song of the Year recognitions
• Kingdom Image Awards
• Addy Award-winning media productions

These honors reflect Raise’s longstanding commitment to artistic excellence and transformational ministry.

This revision strengthens the historical narrative, highlights the global expansion of Raise Productions, honors the distinct contributions of each founder, and emphasizes the legacy being carried forward by generations of students and singers.

The Transition to a Worldwide Ministry

As Raise Productions entered the twenty-first century, it became increasingly evident that its vision for gospel music and gospel arts education extended far beyond Columbus, Ohio, and beyond the African American community from which it was born. What began as a local ministry devoted to preserving and teaching the traditions of gospel music evolved into a global movement impacting churches, schools, universities, and communities throughout the world.

Beginning in 1999, Raise Productions expanded its educational outreach through participation in major national and international conferences and professional organizations, including the Gospel Music Workshop of America, the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference, the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the Orff Schulwerk Association, and numerous denominational and educational gatherings. Through workshops, clinics, performances, publications, and presentations, Raise became recognized as a leading voice in gospel music education and performance practice.

The educational philosophy, curriculum, methodology, and pedagogy first developed at the Raise Center for the Gospel Arts became sought-after models for gospel music instruction. Dr. Raymond Wise helped establish for-credit gospel music courses and academic programs at institutions including The Ohio State University, Denison University, Trevecca Nazarene University, Ashland Theological Seminary, and Trinity Lutheran Seminary. His pioneering work contributed significantly to the acceptance of gospel music as a legitimate field of academic study within higher education.

As Raise publications, recordings, and educational materials circulated nationally and internationally, the organization’s influence expanded into Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America. Choirs, conductors, educators, and churches around the world began utilizing Raise resources, performing music published through Raise Productions, and adopting educational approaches first cultivated in Columbus. What was once a neighborhood ministry had become a worldwide resource for the preservation, performance, and teaching of gospel music and the gospel arts.

The Continuing Legacy of the Founders

While the founders worked together to build Raise Productions into an internationally respected ministry and educational institution, each continued to develop and utilize their individual gifts in ways that expanded the organization's mission and impact.

Dr. Raymond Wise, founder and president, continued to serve as an internationally recognized scholar, conductor, composer, clinician, and educator. Through extensive travel and teaching throughout North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, he has introduced thousands of musicians, educators, clergy, and students to the rich traditions of African American gospel music and worship. His compositions, publications, recordings, and academic leadership have helped establish gospel music as both a respected academic discipline and a vibrant ministry resource worldwide.

Frank Lane, whose spiritual gift of helps and administration has been instrumental since the organization's inception, expanded his ministry through Raise Celebrations. Through event planning, floral design, decorative arts, gift basket creation, holiday installations, and special event support services, he has brought beauty, excellence, and hospitality to churches, families, businesses, and community organizations. His attention to detail and commitment to serving others reflect the same spirit of support that helped establish Raise Productions during its earliest years.

Shuryl Sutherland-Thompson, whose creativity and entrepreneurial vision helped shape Raise Productions from the beginning, continued her work in Virginia through a variety of business and community ventures. Through her mobile coffee enterprise and her interior decorating and consulting business, Change Your Space, Change Your World, she has encouraged individuals and organizations to create environments that inspire growth, creativity, and transformation. Her work reflects the same artistic vision and innovative spirit that contributed to Raise Productions' development and success.

Together, the founders demonstrate how diverse gifts—education, leadership, administration, creativity, entrepreneurship, service, and ministry—can work in harmony to accomplish a shared vision and create lasting impact.

Carrying the Torch Into the Future

Perhaps the greatest measure of Raise Productions' success is not found in its awards, recordings, performances, or publications, but in the lives it has shaped over four decades.

Hundreds of students, singers, musicians, actors, dancers, worship leaders, educators, ministers, and scholars have passed through Raise programs and ministries. Today, former Raise participants serve throughout the United States and around the world as pastors, church musicians, choir directors, educators, recording artists, worship leaders, professors, arts administrators, and community leaders. Many are now training a new generation using the same principles, values, and traditions they learned through Raise Productions.

The future of Raise Productions rests in the hands of these students, singers, and emerging leaders who have embraced the mission of preserving, teaching, and advancing the gospel arts. They are the torchbearers of a rich legacy—individuals who understand that gospel music is more than a musical genre; it is a cultural treasure, a ministry, a witness of faith, and a powerful vehicle for education and transformation.

As these men, women, and young people continue to serve in churches, schools, universities, communities, and artistic organizations around the world, the vision of Raise Productions will continue to flourish. Through them, gospel music will be preserved, taught, celebrated, and elevated for generations yet to come.

Looking Toward the Future

In 2026, Raise Productions celebrates forty years of extraordinary service, innovation, education, and ministry. What began as a local vision in Columbus, Ohio, has become an international movement dedicated to preserving, teaching, performing, and advancing the gospel arts.

Yet despite its worldwide reach, the organization's purpose remains unchanged. Raise Productions continues to pursue the vision upon which it was founded: the establishment of a world-class Center for the Gospel Arts devoted to education, scholarship, ministry, performance, cultural preservation, and spiritual transformation.

As Raise Productions enters its next chapter, it continues to build bridges between church and academy, tradition and innovation, local communities and global audiences. Through its founders, its alumni, its students, its singers, and the countless lives touched by its ministry, Raise Productions remains committed to its enduring mission of “Raising Gospel Music Higher.”

For forty years, Raise Productions has faithfully preserved a treasured heritage, transformed lives through ministry and education, and inspired excellence through the arts. Its story continues—not only through the work of its founders, but through the generations who will carry the torch forward and ensure that the power, beauty, and message of gospel music continue to impact the world.

This version more clearly shows the progression from a Columbus-based ministry to a global educational and artistic influence, gives each founder a distinct legacy section tied to their individual gifts, and concludes with a stronger emphasis on Raise students, singers, and alumni as the future stewards of the mission.

For forty years, Raise Productions has truly fulfilled its mission of “Raising Gospel Music Higher.”