Weto | ar

Mixing African gospel with traditional hymns, Jamaican reggae, American pop, and spiritually themed secular songs, the Soweto Gospel Choir are an impressive performing unit. Formed in Soweto, South Africa, in 2002 by choir directors David Mulovhedzi and Beverly Bryer, the group includes 30-some members and the show they produce is a powerful expression of hope and joy full of gorgeous South African vocal harmonies. The choir was the surprise hit of the 2003 Edinburgh Festival: they were the fourth-highest selling act out of 1,600 acts booked for the festival, putting on extra shows to meet the demand and eventually performing...

Soweto Kinch is a jazz composer and arranger, alto saxophonist, and rapper. He was born in London in 1978, but brought up in Birmingham, where he is still based. On graduating with a degree in Modern History from Oxford University, he joined Tomorrow's Warriors; and in 2001 made his recording debut (on the Jazz Jamaica album Massive), and formed his own trio. His two albums to date, Conversations With The Unseen (2003) and A Life In The Day Of B19: Tales Of The Tower Block (2006) combine bebop-style jazz with elements of hip-hop, soundscapes and spoken dialogue. The latter album,...

The Soweto String Quartet was formed in 1989 at the Madimba School of Music. The four members of the Soweto String Quartet are three brothers - Sandile Khemese on principal violin, Thami Khemese on second violin and Reuben Khemese on cello, with Makhosini Mnguni on viola. They are black classical trained musicians from Soweto, a South African Township. They initially faced criticism at home for using traditional European instruments, but over the years their music has absorbed African rhythms and intonations. In 1992 they played at Nelson Mandela's presidential inauguration, after which the president started recommending them. They have 5...