The Soweto Gospel Choir North American Tour | Jan. – April 2012

 
Every now and again, a unique artist or group comes along and eclipses the music industry’s fly by night trends, miraculously captivating the hearts and imaginations of devoted music fans everywhere. With their lush harmonies, mesmerizing South African spirituals and sheer magnetic energy, Soweto Gospel Choir is that group. The most universal and powerful instrument is the human voice and Soweto Gospel Choir revels in this ‘first instrument.’ In a time when people are yearning for positive messages, the Choir has managed to bring together a diverse and global audience, transcending age, race and religion.  The awe-inspiring Gospel Choir is a story of triumph. “The choir has totally exceeded anyone’s expectations since they first started in 2002,” states the Choir’s Executive Producer and Director Beverly Bryer. “We knew the choir was special after their first performance but not in our wildest dreams, did we know that they would go on to receive two Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, an Oscar nomination and so many South African Music Awards. Nor did we dream of them performing at the best venues in the world, with top international artists such as Bono, Josh Groban and John Legend, and sing for the likes of Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Oprah and Jay Leno. This has been an amazing journey for the choir in all respects.”  The dynamic 26-member choir is an Ambassador for Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Aids Awareness Concerts and they recently performed at Archbisop Desmond Tutu’s (official Patron of the Choir) 80th Birthday. Tapped to star in a Pepsi commercial alongside Akon and Keri Hilson, the Emmy-winning Choir has had the good fortune to make appearances on such notable television shows as “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” among others. 2012 promises to be another banner year for the lauded choir as they embark on a highly anticipated 43-city North American tour kicking off on January 24.
 
As South African natives who have become world citizens through their gift of music, Soweto Gospel Choir, firmly believes in their mission to support individuals who are less fortunate. As highly regarded as they are for their music, the Choir is equally celebrated for their work on behalf of AIDS orphans and families affected by the AIDS pandemic in South Africa.  Through the Choir’s charitable initiative Nkosi’s Haven/Vukani (meaning to arise, do something!!) they provide assistance by feeding and clothing individuals, paying for funerals for needy families and assisting numerous young children who are orphaned by AIDS. The program, which is funded through money raised at their concerts, has raised over $600,000. This is an impressive feat considering they receive no government or private funding.
 
Soweto Gospel Choir is undoubtedly the most exciting vocal group to emerge from South Africa since Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They have enchanted world-wide audiences since its creation in November 2002 by South African Executive Producer Beverly Bryer and the notable and late Musical Director David Mulovhedzi. The current and original producing team is Andrew Kay and David Vigo. Bryer and Mulovhedzi, held auditions in Soweto to form an all-star “super-choir,” and were able to create a powerful aggregation made up of the best singers from Mulovhedzi’s own Holy Jerusalem Choir, as well as various Soweto churches, community groups and from the general public. South Africa has long been noted for its rich musical tradition in particular singers in the great acapella vocal tradition. Additionally, dancing is an integral part of African church worship and so the dancing seen onstage is an authentic representation of the African religious experience. Adorned in the beautifully bright colors of ‘the rainbow nation,’ the choir performs an exotic blend of South African spirituals, traditional Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho gospel songs which are interspersed with popular songs and folk anthems. The Choir has been known to delight audiences with repertoire sung in English like the gospel standard popularized by the Edwin Hawkins Singers “Oh Happy Day,” Simon and Garfunkel’s 1970s hit “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” Bob Marley’s peace anthem “One Love”, Jimmy Cliff’s poignant “Many Rivers to Cross” and Sarah McLachlan’s “Arms of an Angel.”
 
“Unlike most choirs, the members of Soweto Gospel Choir are not only singers, but performers as well. Besides having a wonderful range of different voices and unique African harmonies, they exude unbelievable energy and the true joy of natural singing,” confides Beverly Bryer.  “The choir shows their love of music and joy for life in their music and this is felt by the audiences around the world, whether or not they understand the words or meaning of the songs. The pure beauty and passion of the choir’s singing, through sad songs that bring the audience to tears, or energetic or happy songs that leave the audience clapping and dancing, is something special for the audience.”
 
Just one short year after Soweto Gospel Choir’s creation, they scored an American Gospel Music Award for “Best Gospel Choir.”  They also wowed fellow performers Peter Gabriel, Bono, The Eurythmics, Jimmy Cliff and Queen at the 46664 Concert in Cape Town, under the patronage of Nelson Mandela (taking its name from his prison number). The Choir made their American recording debut on Shanachie Entertainment in 2004 with Voices From Heaven, which hit #1 on the Billboard World Music charts and landed in the top five of CMJ’s World Music charts.  They also performed their first North American 35-city tour that was sold out in virtually every market.  The CD Blessed, also issued on Shanachie Entertainment, followed in 2005 and garnered the Choir their first Grammy win (in the category “Best Traditional World Music”). The music world took notice of the Choir as they received numerous invitations to collaborate on several high profile projects.  They were invited to join Paul McCartney, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson and a host of others on the CD  Going Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino. Their collaboration with Robert Plant, a stunning version of “Valley Of Tears,” was picked by many reviewers as a highlight of the project. They also performed on the recording  In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2, which features an all-star line-up of African artists including Angelique Kidjo,  Vieux Farka Toure and many others.  Another highlight of the year was performing at Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 75th Birthday Celebration, as well as making a guest appearance alongside Diana Ross, Deborah Cox and Danny K at the “Unite of the Stars” Gala Banquet in South Africa. They also performed at Sun City, South Africa for Oprah Winfrey and 200 of her V.I.P. guests, including Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige, Tina Turner, Patti Labelle, Sydney Poitier and Quincy Jones.
 
The Choir’s third release, the Grammy-winning African Spirit (2007), further endeared the Choir to a broader audience with its mix of traditional South African spiritual music, South African pop, American gospel and popular inspirational songs from around the world. The album was dedicated to the memory of co-founder and Producer Clifford Hocking who passed away earlier that year.  2008 saw the release of Live At The Nelson Mandela Theatre, recorded live in South African on CD and DVD, both of which illuminate the beauty and captivating performances of the Choir’s live shows. The CD earned a Grammy nomination. The Choir also had an opportunity to collaborate with Peter Gabriel on his Grammy-winning, Oscar nominated song “Down To Earth,” from the blockbuster Pixar film  WALL-E. The following year they had the distinction of being the first South African group to perform this song at the Academy Awards. The memorable performance joined them with R&B star John Legend. In 2010 the critically heralded Grace was released on Shanachie, once again earning the Choir another Grammy nomination. In keeping with the Choir’s always busy and impressive schedule, the Choir was invited to participate in numerous high profile engagements including the 2010FIFA World Opening Concert held in South Africa. Soweto Gospel Choir also joined U2 on the songs “Streets Have No Name,” “Magnificent” and “Boots” for ESPN’s promotional campaign for the World Cup. This collaboration led to a 2011 Sports Emmy Award winning in the category “Outstanding Music Composition/Direction/Lyrics.” They were also featured alongside the London Philharmonic Orchestra, performing the song “Baba Yetu” and on the album Calling All Dawns, both the song and the CD scored Grammys.
 
In 2011 the Choir maintained a rigorous schedule while touring prestigious concert venues throughout the world. Some of the tour highlights included several performances in Holland with renowned classical violinist, Andre Rieu, performing on stage for the first time with the Harlem Gospel Choir.  A personal highlight for the award-winning Choir was the opportunity to pay homage to their dear friend and Patron Archbishop Desmond Tutu at his 80th birthday celebration, where they joined Bono for a tribute sung to the Arch. The in-demand Choir also received a special request to perform for Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, during their royal visit to South Africa in November 2011. Also in November, they were invited to perform with Josh Groban for his sold-out concerts at Sun City.
 
 
For Soweto Gospel Choir the sky is the limit. In the words of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Hearing the full Soweto Gospel Choir harmonize sounds less like a couple of dozen people singing together and more like a pipe organ roaring to life.” Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Soweto Gospel Choir as they make their triumphant return to North America!
      
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