South African Grammy Award Winning Soweto Gospel Choir in Millersville, PA
November 12, 2023 |
| Enroute to see South African Grammy Award Winning Gospel Group - Soweto Gospel Choir (Nov 2022) |
Hi beautiful people,
As I was putting my 'Macbeth show photos' into an album, I walked down memory lane and my gallery location pin showed me around this time last year, I attended a concert by South African Grammy Award winning gospel group, Soweto Gospel Choir at the Winter Center Arts Space (where the Macbeth play was).
I cannot trace any videos from the time, guess I was still using my BlackBerry (yes I am one of the last people to still own one, and I still believe they will make a comeback) - and it was on its deathbed, and not backing everything up. I have a few photos I managed to take amid all the dancing, singing and soul searching that was the Soweto Gospel Choir Concert in Millersville, PA. I have added YouTube Videos from the choir's channel to highlight some of the songs that I stuck with me.
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| This concert dubbed HOPE: Its Been a Long Time Coming - was part of the choir's US/Canada 2022 Tour. We had a full house that night...and I am so glad I got a ticket early...and braved the cold to get there. |
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| The two hour concert started with Soweto Gospel Choir giving us a front row seat in the country's (South Africa) struggle for freedom |
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| If you have watched Sarafina, you may know the song below - this is a pic of Soweto Gospel choir before they started singing it. |
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| At the back stretching during the 15 minute intermission of the Soweto Gospel Choir Concert in Millersville - the first half of the concert had 10 or songs that 'spoke' about South Africa and her 'long walk to freedom' |
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| The first song after intermission was all about drums, cheers and dance...and if you have seen South Africans dancing, you know they danced their 'socks off'...the guy was doing the leg rising one here (Indlamu) |
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| They swiftly crossed over to the Black America movement and it was interesting to see the parallels between both struggles and how gospel music/spiritualities played a part in freedom struggles. We sang along to Amen by Curtis Mayfield and Johnny Pate, An 'Africanized' rendition of Sam Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come and Stand up by Joshuah Campbell and Cyntha Echumuna-Erivo |
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| I have to mention their costumes were amazing and I lost count of how many times they changed their colorful attire |
The second half had 10 or so songs too, and ended with Leonard Cohen's Halleluiah which got everyone on their feet and lifting their hands - we were literally having church at that point. When they were done, they bowed and left the stage...but we were not done, so we started shouting for them to get back on stage...and so they came back and did another verse of the song...and it was AMAZING!!!
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| Hope CD cover - Image from Soweto Gospel Choir Website |
As an aside:
If you are in places where the temperatures drop at this time of the year, it is tempting to be indoors and immobile but please sign up for as many activities as you can. Like me, you might only make it to a handful of them (I am working on being better) but those moments you get out, and move, and be around people (if even if you are not talking to them), can contribute to your general mental wellbeing and help keep SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) at bay.
Until next time,
Sending loads of love and light,
Sitawa
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