About Soweto Gospel Choir and awards:
Soweto Gospel Choir
was formed in November, 2002. In December, 2002 their first album
“Voices from Heaven” was recorded and went on to reach the No. 1 spot on
Billboard’s World Music Chart within 3 weeks of its release in the US. Soweto Gospel Choir has won many award both national and International awards.
In 2003, Soweto Gospel Choir won its first award, a Helpmann Award, Australia’s prestigious Performing Arts
Award, for “Best Contemporary Music Concert”. In the same year, American Gospel Music Award
for “Best Choir”.
In June 2007 Soweto Gospel Choir was the support act
for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers at their concerts in Germany. To add to their string of national and international
awards, in November 2007 Soweto Gospel Choir won a Metro FM Music Award for
Best Gospel Album for “African Spirit”, based on nominations submitted by
the radio station’s listeners, and the public. In February 2008, the choir was awarded a second
Grammy Award for their third album “African Spirit”, in the “Best Traditional
World Music” category. Also
in February 2008, the choir was honoured with the PanSALB Award for
Multilingualism and Nation Building, for “Album of the Decade”. They performed with Celine Dion during her “Taking
Chances” tour of South Africa.
Soweto Gospel Choir
received its third Grammy nomination in December 2008, this time in the
category Best Contemporary World Music, for their album, “Live at the Nelson
Mandela Theatre”
Soweto Gospel Choir was an
Ambassador for Nelson Mandela’s 46664 campaign and has performed at the Cape
Town, Johannesburg, London and New York concerts with artists such as Peter
Gabriel, Bono, Queen, Jimmy Cliff, Johnny Clegg, Eddie Grant Amy Winehouse,
Queen Latifah, Wyclef Jean, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. They
have been featured in Time Magazine and are one of the selected international
artists included in Andrew Zukerman’s “Music”, as part of a series of
photographic books that includes the best seller “Wisdom”.
They are UN
Envoys for Africa and recorded and performed with seven other top African artists
including Angelique Kidjo, Baba Maal, Eric Wainaina, Mingas,Oliver
Mtukudzi,Yvonne Chaka Chaka and HHP as part of the UN MDG “* Goals Away”
campaign, during the World Cup. The choir is also an Ambassador for the 1Goal
campaign, which advocates education for all, and for SHOUT which advocates Anti
Crime. Soweto Gospel Choir has founded its own AIDS orphans
foundation, Nkosi’s Haven Vukani, to assist organisations that receive little
or no funding. To date, the choir has collected over R 4million for their
foundation. In South Africa, the choir performs for a variety of
charitable organizations. You can read more from their site
