Soweto Gospel Choir, Which Performs on February 22, Earns Grammy
February 15, 2007
South Africa's Soweto Gospel Choir, which performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium, won a Grammy Award Feb. 11 when Blessed, the group's second CD, was named Best Traditional World Music Album. The Penn State concert program features numerous selections from the award-winning disc.
The choir's concerts combine earthy rhythms, beautiful harmonies and charismatic voices to uplift the soul and celebrate the spirit of South Africa.
Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are $29 for an adult, $14 for a University Park student and $19 for a person 18 and younger. For tickets and information, visit www.cpa.psu.edu or phone (814) 863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at Eisenhower Auditorium and Bryce Jordan Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; Penn State Tickets Downtown, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and HUB-Robeson Center, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. University Park Allocation Committee makes Penn State student prices possible.
Visit the February 2007 issue of PreViews, the Center for the Performing Arts online magazine, at www.cpa.psu.edu/previews to hear musical excerpts from Blessed.
African Spirit, the choir's third CD, was released Jan. 30 and includes South African gospel music and interpretations of songs by Bob Dylan, Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. The album also features a cover of the U2 hit "One" with special guest Bono.
"The South African choir successfully coordinates intricate harmonies with hand claps, tambourines, djembe drums, and soulful singing, which beckon all to reclaim their spirit," points out a writer for Vibe. "[The choir] has a cornucopia of remarkable voices: sharp, sweet, kindly, raspy, and incantatory leads above a magnificently velvety blend," writes a New York Times critic.
Introduced to American audiences three years ago, the choir has gained an international fan base and performed to sold-out audiences around the globe. The group has also appeared on major American television programs such as the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Today, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, A&E's Breakfast with the Arts and Emeril Live.
The choir's 2007 North American tour, its third visit to our shores, takes it to 47 cities across the United States and Canada. A four-piece band (keyboard, guitar, bass and drums) joins the choir.
Kohlhepp's Bald Eagle Valley Stone Center sponsors the concert. Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring a visiting artist or local expert, is offered in Eisenhower Auditorium one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity. Seating is available on a first-arrival basis.
Contact: Laura Sullivan, 814-863-6379