Roberta Flack could gather the entire universe and pour it all into her singing. Classically trained as a pianist and gifted with a rare, expressive voice, she used her prodigious talent to express life’s deep experiences.  

The power of peace found in silent prayer and meditation found full expression in her voice. As noted in the New York Amsterdam News, “she had a stylistic range that soared with spiritual conviction, taking your breath away with her every note.” 

Ms. Flack’s first musical experiences were in church. She grew up in a large musical family and often provided piano accompaniment for the choir of Lomas African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Arlington, Virginia singing hymns and spirituals. She also enjoyed going to the "Baptist church down the street" to listen to contemporary gospel music, including songs performed by Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke. In her lifetime, she won five Grammy Awards, including one for Lifetime Achievement. She was an educator, and a strong and loving advocate for a better world.

Beginning in the late 1980s, Roberta delighted in the meditative teachings of Sri Chinmoy, the founder of Seven Minutes of World Peace, and often performed for him and his students. Sri Chinmoy composed eight songs in her honor, including five to her words, and offered her the spiritual name “Addwitiya”, meaning “Supremely unparalleled Consciousness-Bliss”. 

All those connected with Seven Minutes of World Peace and the Sri Chinmoy Centre are grateful for the opportunity to have known Addwitiya Roberta Flack, and to have experienced in some way her extraordinary and self-giving life.