The McAninch Arts Center (MAC), located at 425 Fawell Blvd., hosts the three-time Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 8th. Heralded by Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Barack Obama, and Oprah Winfrey, the choir has entertained audiences worldwide, uplifting the soul and spreading joy through its earthy rhythms, rich harmonies, brilliant costumes, and infectious spirit. “This show resonates with the joy of connection and the spirit of hope in humanity,” says The Upside News; and Stage Whispers says, “The voices are without exception brilliant…impressive. The finale is simply divine.”
The MAC performance will be the exclusive Illinois engagement of the choir’s 2025 “Peace” North America tour. The inspirational, family-friendly program will feature South African freedom songs, traditional spirituals and classics like “Man in the Mirror” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” It will also include the spirited music of Aretha Franklin, Harry Belafonte, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Leonard Cohen and more.
Soweto Gospel Choir-Photo by Stephanie Meekers
Formed in 2002, the Soweto Gospel Choir was created to celebrate the unique power of African gospel music and quickly established itself as a group that is “undeniably synchronized, appears unshakable, and simultaneously expresses universality and individuality” (San Francisco Classical Voice). North West End UK says, “ Soweto Gospel choir is synonymous with energetic magnetism that has you glued to your seats from the first note.”
The choir has collaborated and performed with Peter Gabriel, U2, John Legend, Robert Plant, Chance the Rapper, Celine Dion, Diana Ross and Pharrell Williams, among others. They have performed in prestigious venues around the world including Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Royal Festival Hall London and Nelson Mandela Theatre. They have performed at important events including the 2009 Academy Awards, Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in Westminster Abbey, centenary celebrations, Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s funeral (as well as his 75th and 80th birthdays), the FIFA 2009 World Cup opening ceremony in Cape Town and Winnie Madikileza-Mandela’s memorial service.
In addition to Nelson Mandela and their once patron Desmond Tutu, they have performed before Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, His Majesty King Charles and Her Majesty Queen Camilla, Prince Harry, Princess Charlene of Monaco, plus TV personalities, celebrities, dignitaries, movie stars and rock stars.
The Soweto Gospel Choir has been nominated for five Grammys, an Oscar (with Peter Gabriel), six South African Music Awards (SAMAs), as well as an International Reggae and World Music Award. They have been awarded three Grammys in their own right and three associated ones, an Emmy Award, three SAMAs, two American Gospel Awards, the inaugural Tower Music African Gospel Award for best gospel group, and a Helpmann Award.
Tickets
McAninch Arts Center is located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage, presents the Soweto Gospel Choir, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 8. Tickets are $55-$69. For tickets or additional information, call 630.942.4000 or visit www.AtTheMAC.org. Box Office hours are Tuesday – Saturday, noon – 6 p.m. and three hours prior to the performance For more information, call 630.942.4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org.
WDCB is the Media Sponsor for this event.
About the MAC
McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and a versatile black box Studio Theatre), outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.
The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information about the MAC, visit www.AtTheMAC.org or @AtTheMAC on Facebook and Instagram.
Support for the McAninch Arts Center is provided in part by Enjoy Illinois, DuPage County Board, Illinois Arts Council, Ball Horticultural, Wight & Company, Anonymous, The DuPage Foundation, the Les and Mary Wiberg fund of the DuPage Foundation, Arts DuPage, JCS Arts Health & Education Fund, Capstone Financial Advisors Molex, Brookdale Senior Living Glen Ellyn, Frank Modruson & Lynne Shigley, Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago, DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle/Naperville, DuMore DuPage, WDCB 90.9 FM, and College of DuPage Foundation
Established as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit www.foundation.cod.edu or call 630.942.2462.