'Voices of Heaven' come home
5 July 2005
After two years of touring Australia, Europe, the UK and the United States - topped by a performance at Carnegie Hall that was sold out six months in advance - the Soweto Gospel Choir is finally bringing its internationally acclaimed "Voices From Heaven" concert back home.
The concert - at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre from 6 to 9 July - covers traditional and popular African as well as international gospel and contemporary songs, ranging from gospel hits "Vuma and Modimo" and South African classics "Paradise Road", "Asimbonanga" and "African Dream" to American spirituals such as "Amazing Grace" and music by Otis Redding and Jimmy Cliff.
Drawing from the churches and communities of South Africa's most famous township, the 34-member Soweto Gospel Choir mixes earthy rhythms with rich harmonies to express the energy of South Africa.
Accompanied by a four-piece band and percussion section, the choir gives its own unique interpretation to both traditional and contemporary music, performing in six of South Africa's 11 official languages.
International sensation
Since forming in November 2002, the Soweto Gospel Choir has performed in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Europe and Singapore, becoming an international, multi-award winning sensation.
The choir was the surprise hit of the 2003 Edinburgh Festival: they were the fourth-highest selling act out of 1 600 acts booked for the festival, putting on extra shows to meet the demand and eventually performing 29 concerts in the space of a month - delighting the reviewers as much as the audiences.
Fiona Shepherd, writing for The Scotsman, had this to say: "A capella groups Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Black Umfolozi have already cracked open the western market for indigenous South African song, but nothing can really prepare you for the riot of exuberance and depth of emotion emanating from this 24-piece ensemble ...
"This is a seamless show brimming with spot-on multi-lingual performances which, for all their technical precision, are universally expressive and unfettered, charged by the choir's constant movement."
The choir has picked up a Helpmann Award, Australia's prestigious performing arts award, for best contemporary music concert (2003); the 2003 American Gospel Music Award for best choir; the 2004 Gospel Music Award (also US-based) for best international choir.
Their debut CD, "Voices From Heaven", reached number 1 on Billboard's World Music Chart within three weeks of its US release, debuting at number 3. Their new CD, "Blessed" was released in July 2004 through Universal Music.
- To order the CD, visit the ABC Shop or the choir's online shop.
The choir has just returned from a two-month, 35-city tour of the United States, with most concerts (many at 2 000-seater plus venues) sold out - and is already booked to return to the US in 2006 and 2007.
Choir master David Mulovhedzi attributes the choir's success to the fact that it is tapping into South Africa's enormous talent pool. Its members, whose ages range from 16 to 40, hail from churches and communities in and around Soweto, and are all lead singers in their own community choirs.
Tickets for the Johannesburg concert, ranging from R75 to R175, are available through Computicket. Special prices of R60 are available for the Saturday 5pm performance and Wednesday 8pm preview performance.
A 10% discount an all ticket prices is available for groups of 10 or more. For block bookings, contact the theatre's VIP Ticketing Office at (011) 877-6854.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
