Sowetochoir Continued from B1 Big Hall. “Just that awareness of eeCees ene eee « ‘hile Dunn said tha the cul- eTeee Technology ee “Thinks goingtbe a very moving experience,” she said. West High's choir teacher Trish Tate, who coordinated with Wilks-Dunn to Soweto to the school, said she admires the talent of gospel choirs. “Wehad the opportunity to be part of a gospel choir fest at WeberState,” Tate said, The students“didn't really get it until they were a part ofit. It takes a lot of energy to put out that kind of sound.” Tate said she is forwardto the choir’s performance at West High. .“Lunderstand they're pretty students to hear another genre of music.” Because the choir’s genreis so removed from what Americans maybe used to, Luzipo’s duties as narrator expand to introducing the show and concludingit. “It ain't over’til the fat lady speaks,” she said, “andI’m a big girl.” Audience members can expect more from the performancethan lyrics sung in native African. To appeal toa wider audience, the choir members also sing some English-language favorites like “ Grace,” “Kumbayah” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” which take advantageof the group’s a cappella bass andbaritone. And appeal they do. The choir’s first release, “Voices from Heaven,” which Soweto Choir The costumes worn bythe choir are madeofbright fabrics that represent how South Africa has becomea “rainbow nation” with a mix of races, cultures and 11 official languages. is a blend of a cappella and accompanied music, rose to No. March 8th & 9th (Wednesday & Thursday) at the McKay Events Center Orem, UT —-11. a.m. to 5 p.m. Nearly 200 ar eat exhib 3 great «So} odialents; staurants Great keynotes including Hyrum Smith's world famous “Reality Model” Xo1anl [BOL MN Y=1-m2010 liq make (oxo) maloN7 way. You'll be glad you came. Dozens of great door prizes including laptops, Pods, vacatiorfpackages, dining certificates, business services and muchmore, including a drawing for a classic Mercedes-Benz! Enjoy a great lunch from: DailusHerald A PROSPEF XANGO Pe MCT ey SeSEE chart. Besides selling out such high-profile venues as New ~ York’s Carnegie Hall, the choir also won both “Best Choir” and “Best International Choir” at the American Gospel Music Awards in 2 Not a bad US. reception for a South African choir. “On TV it is the hip-hop and excelgraphics STIS | Circle, Salt Lake City McBride = recorded Buck Owens's “Together Again” for HallmarkValentine's Day album. “m've just alwaysloved his music,” McBride says. “He’s such stylist. That’s the thing, when you go backandlistento these old records, they’re really stylists. When Buck Owens comes on, you know who it is. I was just cravatto ‘Love's GonnaLive Here’ and ‘Crying e’'and do a whole album ofthis music.” McBride even dug up a few favorites from whenshe was a Schiffter: Sammi Smith's 1971 chart-topper of then little-knownKris Kristofferson’s “Help Me MakeIt Throught the Night” and Pruett’s 1973 No.1, “Satin Sheets.” Happily, McBride found that, musically, going home wasn't as hardas lea’ “When I wentinto it, I wondered how it be, upsingi ot eee, Chet ne it in a really long time,” she says. “But it was so easy and so natu- Ricide: poveny: don’t know that I've gone out of my way to find it. I was just Go io www. UVEXPO.com TOr || Soweto Gospel Choir | D Where: Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. President's Continued from B2 ral Stylisticaly, it felt really OT eel cemeUe Tn ea ) ZUU | big necklaces and gang fights portrayed,” Luzipo said,“but | D When:Tonight at 7:30 when we comehereit feels like | D Tickets: $17.50, home.” $24.50 or $29.50 Maybe the choir members’ comfort with U.S. audiences has | depending on seats contributed to their success on D Info: (801) 581-7100, this side of the Atlantic. www.kingsburyhall.org “Wefelt our Successhie ms planned,” Luzipo said, prised us all. It secarnesuch a hugeblessing.” and overwhelming racism, but Withtheir success,the choir * Luzipo said conditions are immembers have beenable to give proving. back to their beloved homeland “So muchhas changed,” she said. “There was a time when throughtheir own charity Vuwhites would neverassociate kani (meaning “do something”). They have generated more than with black people.It is a better nation than whatit was a $220,000, which primarily goes couple of years ago.” to helping orphaned children During that period of social with AIDS. unrest and apartheid, Luzipo “Tt feels good because we actually doit ourselves,” Luzipo said a black person on the streets without a government said. identification card could be Their hands-on charity includes entertaining the children jailed without further cause. The essenceofthe choir’s and assembling the kits they domessage,then,is to celebrate nate. Among otherthings, they what South Africa is now after have provided foo, blankets, overcoming so many problems. clothing andstudy aids. With its mix of races,cultures “The kids are studying, but and11 official languages,their they have no books,” Luzipo country is knowntoday as “the said. rainbow nation.” Such problems are common in South Africa, which was “Our costumesreveal that the second we comeonstage,” she once torn apart by apartheid natural. _ McBride seems to have a about finding G2 | Ifyou go said of their brightly colored garb. “You'll probablysay, “Whoa, where do these people conte from? The answeris SouthAfrica. Besidesthetraditionally bright clothing of South Africa, Americans can get another taste of foreign culture through the traditional dancethat weavesits way into the show. “For three-fourths of the show, weare moving — getting into our South African groove,” Luzipo said. Luzipo's own grooveis limited, however. “Unfortunately, I’m not small enoughto be a dancer,” she said, “but I become a dancer within — it moves me inside.” She said dancing is a huge part of South African culture. People danceat everything from weddingsto funerals, the latter being something that maybe considered taboo in U.S. culture, The combination ofsinging, dancing and charity comes together to form what Luzipo called the goal of the choir: “To take South African gospel and to show thediversity of our faith throughout the world.” Overall, the choir is a study of a cappella accord (though a four-piece band does accompany them on some numbers). “You get to hear the true African harmony,” Luzipo said. “It showsthe richness in our voices.” as a human being,it resonates with me,andit’s something I can't walk away from. “Eventhe up-tempo songsI've recorded,like ‘This One's for the Girls' or ‘My Baby Loves Me,’ feel like they have some substance and something to say, but I don't know wherethat comes from. When listen to a thousand (demo) songs, those are the ones that stand out for me, and I go, ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to sing about.’ It’s instincts,really.” And,perhaps,environment. She may not be _in Kansas anymore,but Kansas is always in Mc- ‘Together Again.’ ... And then I thoughtTdliketo Bride Novell ZIONS BANK 1 on Billboard’s World Music tte] Geia “Being from Kansas definitely shaped who I am as a person — that Midwestern work ethic and sense of values and morals,a sense of community and accountability,” she says. “I'm blessed to have had a very good upbringing.” McBride's doing the upbringing now,with daughters Delane’ y, 11, Emma,7, and Ava, 1, but don’t expect “Mc! , the Next Generati “They don't seemto havea passion for that right now,” McBride says. Meanwhile, they can play with Mattel’s new Martina McBride Barbie which wears a re-creation of the glamorous gown McBride wore twoyears ago to the 39th Academy of Country Music Awards, where she was named female vocalist of the year for the third consecutive time. McBride laughs at the e of her daughters payingwih a genuine Mommy doll. don't think about bation, too