Friday, March 19 • 7:30 p.m. • Eric Harvie Theatre • The Banff Centre
Adult $40 to $30 • Senior/Student $37 to $28
Day of performance: Adult $44 to $33 • Senior/Student $40 to $31
Banff Centre Box Office: 1-800-413-8368 or 403-762-6301
Presented as part of the 2010 Visiting Artists’ Series
With their soulful mix of tribal, traditional, and contemporary African and Western gospel rhythms, the Soweto Gospel Choir has won two Grammy Awards, and toured the world with the sound of 21st-century South Africa. On Friday, March 19, the choir brings rich harmonies and a capella vocals to The Banff Centre’s Eric Harvie Theatre.
The 26-member choir combines traditional dance moves with a powerful repertoire that will fill the stage, and the hall with an electric energy. Jon Pareles of the New York Times calls the music “both meticulous and unstoppable.” The choir has become one of Africa’s most powerful ambassadors in music.
Formed in 2002 with members drawn from churches across South Africa, the Soweto Gospel Choir recorded its first album, Voices of Heaven, that year. Since then, they’ve toured around the globe, and performed with artists including Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Queen Latifah, Johnny Clegg, Jimmy Cliff, Yousou N’Dour, and many others. Ambassadors for Nelson Mandela’s 46664 campaign for African AIDS charities, the choir has performed a special concert for Oprah Winfrey, and toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They performed their vocal collaboration with Peter Gabriel, “Down to Earth”, at the Oscars, where it was a nominated song from the film Wall-E.
Upcoming performances in The Banff Centre’s Visiting Artists’ Series: Quartette (March 21), Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba (March 27), Gretchen Parlato (April 10), Grupo Corpo Brazilian Dance Theatre (April 17), The Old Trout Puppet Workshop ( May 21 to 23) and more.
- More on the Soweto Gospel Choir
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- More information on The Banff Centre’s 2010 Visiting Artists’ Series
