Singing City Departs for South Africa on June 30
On Saturday, June 25, Singing City held its final rehearsal before embarking on a two-week tour of South Africa. Sixty-four choir members, friends, and family depart on Thursday, the culmination of two years of planning.
The choir will perform five concerts in four
cities–Johannesburg, Cape Town, Mossel Bay and Pilanesberg. While in Johannesburg, the choir will participate in a
workshop with local musician Mbuso Ndlovu and give an informal concert at Pam’s Creche, a local daycare center
for disadvantaged Sowetan children, as well as perform in a joint concert at Holy Cross Anglican Church in Soweto.
From there, the choir will perform with a local church choir in Thembalethu, the black township of George, near
Mossel Bay, to be held at the United Reformed Church in George. In Cape Town, the scheduled concert will include
local host choirs–Bongweni Adult Choir, Nazareth Youth Choir and Mzamomhle Youth Choir, as well as Singing
City.
This tour marks the 10th for Singing City, the only Philadelphia choir that regularly tours internationally, going back to its its founding in the late 40s. In the ensuing years, the choir has traveled to Israel and Egypt (1970s and 80s), the former Soviet Union (1991), Cuba (2001), Northern Ireland (2004), Brazil (2009), and the Balkans(2012). Singing City made two tours to the South during the Civil Rights movement (1950s), an integrated choir performing during the height of segregation.
We'll be posting photos and stories about our time in South Africa, so keep an eye on our Facebook page and check the blog from time to time.
This tour marks the 10th for Singing City, the only Philadelphia choir that regularly tours internationally, going back to its its founding in the late 40s. In the ensuing years, the choir has traveled to Israel and Egypt (1970s and 80s), the former Soviet Union (1991), Cuba (2001), Northern Ireland (2004), Brazil (2009), and the Balkans(2012). Singing City made two tours to the South during the Civil Rights movement (1950s), an integrated choir performing during the height of segregation.
We'll be posting photos and stories about our time in South Africa, so keep an eye on our Facebook page and check the blog from time to time.
Brazil, 2009
