National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

On January 30, 2007 Shanachie Entertainment will release the Soweto Gospel Choir's African Spirit album, a warm and moving collection of traditional South African spiritual music, pop, gospel and popular inspirational songs from around the world. The album's release will be supported with a 47 city North American tour that kicks off in Fort Lauderdale, FL on January 31st, 2007, and winds up in Newark, NJ on April 9th (consult official tour site for complete list of dates).

Formed to celebrate the unique, inspirational and powerful tradition of African gospel music, the riveting 26-member choir won over audiences with the January 2005 release of their American debut Voices From Heaven, which hit #1 on the Billboard World Music charts and landed in the top five of CMJ's World Music charts. They further enchanted music fans with a 35-city tour that was sold out in virtually every market—including sold out dates at New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall.

Soweto Gospel Choir (comprised of young musicians mostly in their 20's) was created in 2002 by South African Executive Producer Beverly Bryer and Musical Director David Mulovhedzi. Bryer and Mulovhedzi held auditions in the township of Soweto to form an all-star "super-choir" and were able to create a powerful aggregation made up of the best singers from Mulovhedzi's own Holy Jerusalem Choir, as well as various Soweto churches and from the general public.

In 2003, the choir founded its own aids orphans foundation, Nkosi's Haven/Vukani. The choir's charity, in conjunction with Nkosi's Haven (a Soweto-based AIDS-care project), raises funds for AIDS orphan establishments that receive no government or private funding.