Sounds of Celebration: A Diverse Symphony of Hope on at the Linder Auditorium on 10 September 2024

In a world often divided by differences, the Sounds of Celebration concert stands as a testament to the power of music to unite and inspire. This extraordinary event, featuring a diverse array of talented musicians from across South Africa, will take place on 10th September at the WITS Linder Auditorium.

The concert will feature a captivating blend of musical styles, from traditional to contemporary, showcasing the incredible depth and breadth of South African talent. The lineup includes renowned soloists, student musicians from Education Africa's Marimba Hubs, and special-needs performers, demonstrating the inclusivity and accessibility of this event.

Key Highlights:

A Symphony of Hope: The concert aims to inspire hope, resilience, and unity through the power of music.

Diverse Talent: Featuring a wide range of musical styles and performers, from established artists to emerging talent.

Social Impact: Supporting Education Africa's Marimba Hubs, which provide music education to underserved communities.

Inclusivity: Showcasing the talents of special-needs performers, promoting a more inclusive society.

Some Statistics:

Number of participating musicians - 325

Number of different musical styles represented - 8

Number of communities served by Education Africa's Marimba Hubs – over 2000

A Celebration of Unity

Sounds of Celebration is more than just a concert; it's a celebration of diversity, inclusivity, and the power of music to bring people together. This event offers a unique opportunity to experience a truly unforgettable musical journey.

Event Details:

Date: 10th September

Venue: WITS Linder Auditorium

Tickets: R100 available on TicketPro

For more information and media enquiries contact Dee’s on media@jtcomms.co.za or call 011 788 7632

Issued by JT Communication Solutions on Behalf of Education Africa - https://educationafrica.org/

Sounds of Celebration: A Concert of Belief, Resilience, and Unity

In a world where belief in possibility fuels the future, we are proud to announce the upcoming Sounds of Celebration concert, themed Believe. Set to take place on the 10th of September, at the WITS Linder Auditorium, this hybrid concert brings together exceptional musical talent from across South Africa’s four provinces, celebrating the power of music to unite, inspire, and transcend boundaries. This celebration concert was made possible by a grant from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC). We’re proud to announce that featured performers include:

Also performing will be students from Education Africa’s Marimba Hubs, which operate in underserved communities. These hubs provide access to music education, using a unique teaching method developed by Joan Lithgow, Marimba Specialist at Education Africa. The program equips schools with marimbas and drums, empowering educators and learners alike with the tools to excel in ensemble music. Through a combination of intensive training and ongoing support for educators, these hubs have become a vibrant part of community life.

The Sounds of Celebration concert is not just about music—it’s a testament to the resilience and capabilities of our special-needs Hubs, who will also perform, showcasing their exceptional talents. Their participation underlines the concert’s core belief that anything is possible when we nurture resilience and embrace each other’s differences. It’s also a call for social cohesion, a testament to the unifying force of ensemble music, and an affirmation that a better future is possible when we all believe in each other. Music from these performers will break barriers, showing that through resilience, inclusivity, and determination, we can achieve a world where everyone’s potential is realised. 

Tickets: R100. Available on TicketPro HERE.

Come join us in celebrating belief, resilience, and unity through the universal language of music. 

For media enquiries and interview requests, contact: media@jtcomms.co.za or call (011) 788 7632

Issued by JT Communication Solutions on Behalf of Education Africa - https://educationafrica.org/

This Year’s Theme Of The Sounds Of Celebration Concert Highlights Our Responsibilities

For the sixth consecutive year, Sydenham Highlands North community centre in concert with Education Africa is overjoyed to bring the public Sounds of Celebration. There is no more opportune time than now to highlight our responsibilities not just towards the wellbeing of our immediate communities but to the welfare of society at large. This year’s theme ‘Heal the World’ (Tikkun Olam / תיקון עולם) will emphasise the roles we can all play in creating meaning from confusion; harmony from noise. The show, which has become significant to all our stakeholders will present 150 young performers in a kaleidoscope of sound and movement, performing on different instruments and through a variety of media including dance and song. The programme has been chosen for its ability to represent healing, reconciliation and union.

 

NPO Education Africa’s International Arts & Culture project in collaboration with Sydenham Shul, strives through a unique and creative partnership to achieve social cohesion and elevate South African communities through music. Between 2013 and 2018, the Sounds of Celebration project opened 5 Marimba Hubs - at Ithute, in Alexandra, the Zama Montessori School, Daveyton, the Boys and Girls Club of Protea Glen and its newest Hubs in Hammanskraal and the Boys and Girls Club at Bertrams. The current focus of the project is ensuring the sustainability and growth of the 12 existing Education Africa Marimba Hubs so that more learners can benefit from these significant and impactful opportunities.

 

From Boney M’s ‘Don’t Kill the World’, to The Greatest Showman’s ‘A Million Dreams’; from The Black Eyes Peas’ ‘Where is the Love?’ to Paul McCartney’s ‘Ebony and Ivory’, Joan Lithgow, Education Africa’s intrepid musical director has crafted a programme guaranteed to uplift and inspire. The audience will be moved by ‘World in Union’ and ‘Waving Flag’, which have become anthems of peaceful solidarity. The chorus of the performance reverberates throughout the evening and is expressed in pieces like ‘Thuma Mina’ with the African Prayer for support and upliftment for our most vulnerable to the powerful, surging hope articulated in ‘One Day’ for a peaceful and whole future for all of Earth’s citizens.

 

Two matinees are presented free of charge and performed specifically for 2000 disadvantaged youth in the Gauteng area. These young learners will have the opportunity to hear talented peers perform in a world-class venue. An educational booklet, allied to the CAPS curriculum, has also been prepared and will be supplied to each child. The final performance, formally presented by David Bloch, takes place on Tuesday 16 April at 19:45 and is open to the public. All performances take place at Emperors Palace, Theatre of Marcellus.

 

Tickets are reasonably priced between R60 and R120. Bookings at www.ticketpro.co.za or at Spar outlets.

 

For more information about the project and the concerts contact Education Africa 011 685 7300 or Sydenham Shul 011 640 5021.

 

For media queries, interview requests, media accreditation access to high res pictures please contact JT Comms on 011 788 7632 or write to media@jtcomms.co.za

 

Issued by JT Communication Solutions of Behalf of Education Africa – http://educationafrica.org/ and Sydenham Shul - www.sydshul.co.za.

 

Participants include:

The Boys and Girls Club marimba band from Protea Glen, Soweto, Goede Hoop marimba band from Reiger Park, Jeppe High School for Boys Scottish pipe and marimba band, King David Linksfield marimba band, MC Kharbai MID and deaf marimba band from Lenasia, Jiswa Training Centre SID marimba band from Lenasia, Dominican School for the Deaf from Hammanskraal, Neville Smith, singer extraordinaire, King David Linksfield Junior Choir, St Dominic’s Boksburg Steelband, St Peter’s Drumline,  Indian Dancing Stars, Jehil and Kiran Ghurbarun and Moshe Lichtenstein and the Chupa band.

True social cohesion in South Africa in action - “Creating Harmony”

EDUCATION AFRICA is a South African non-profit organisation that has over 22 years of experience working together with disadvantaged communities to address the issue of inequality in education, a legacy left behind by the system of Apartheid. Our motto is: “Making real change happen; poverty alleviation through education”.  Currently we run 10 projects that address various educational needs in South Africa from early childhood development workshops to scholarship funding; from the distribution of bicycles to school children who would otherwise have to walk long distances to school to maths buddy programmes facilitating improved mathematical literacy.

 

One of these ventures is The International Arts and Culture Project.  There are a variety of endeavours that fall under this main project: International Marimba Tours; The Annual International Marimba and Steelpan Festival and more recently the establishment of Marimba Hubs in under-resourced areas and the annual fund-raising concert: Sounds of Celebration held at Emperor’s Palace and hosted in partnership with the Sydenham Highlands North Shul and Community Centre. One of the chief aims of a marimba hub is to give children a safe place to be after school hours. Here they can be engaged in productive and creative activity rather than spending after school hours on the street where they are at risk in numerous ways.

 

As a direct result of the first Sounds of Celebration concert in 2013 a Marimba Hub was opened at Ithute Primary School in Alexandra near Sandton.  Ithute Primary School is also the sister school of King David Primary School, Linksfield Johannesburg.  In 2014 both King David Linksfield and Ithute Primary started their marimba programmes.  At the end of April 2015 another remarkable initiative by King David Linksfield started.  Grade 3 children from both King David Linksfield and their sister school Ithute Primary in Alexandra, began meeting every Wednesday afternoon to play marimbas! 30 children aged 9 and 10 are learning to share music and create harmony in our beautiful but racially scourged South Africa.  These children are making friends through music and are creating bonds that hopefully will transcend racial boundaries.

 

This year, the 2nd Sounds of Celebration concert held in March saw King David Linksfield performing alongside The John Wesley Community Centre Marimba Band from Etwatwa on the East Rand as the pre-concert entertainment. The John Wesley Community Centre Marimba Band had just returned from a highly successful tour to the United Kingdom with Education Africa.  A great friendship struck up between these two bands as they watched each other perform and within minutes of them getting to know each other the John Wesley Marimba Band was encouraging the novice King David Linksfield Marimba Band to dance and interact with them when they performed.

 

This year, Education Africa is proud to present the 4th International Marimba and Steelpan Festival, taking place on the 1st and 2nd August 2015. King David Linksfield is partnering with their new John Wesley Community Centre Marimba Band friends to compete in the category “strictly classical”.  They will be playing a medley of tunes by the great composer Beethoven!  The two bands are working on the music in their own communities and will practise together to hone their final performance! The combined band of grade 3s of King David Linksfield and Ithute Primary will also be competing together in the “open large ensemble” category.

 

The Sounds of Celebration concert and the opening of (thus far) two marimba hubs has resulted in remarkable partnerships. The Jewish youth of King David Linksfield have benefited enormously from meeting and performing with their far more experienced peers from the John Wesley Marimba Band which has twice travelled with Education Africa to the UK.  They have graciously welcomed their novice contemporaries from the King David Marimba Band guiding them through the art of dancing with their instruments and initiating them into the marimba community.

 

This year the Sounds of Celebration concert brought together 150 children from 11 different institutions and schools, performing in 14 acts on a variety of instruments, a choir, gumboot dancers and Jewish singing sensation Choni G all on a single stage. If that single event gave us the inspiration for the possibility of social cohesion then these ongoing partnerships prove that peaceful harmony can endure both through and beyond the music created. These children are living, breathing symphonies of hope and optimism and are forging the path forward, creating a world where we are all citizens together in fellowship and goodwill.

 

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”  Nelson Mandela

 

Block booking enquiries may be directed to Bongi at bongi@educationafrica.org.

For media accreditation, interview requests and access to high res photos please contact media@jtcomms.co.za or (011) 788 7632 and speak to Dee’s

Issued by JT Communication Solutions of Behalf of Education Africa International Marimba and Steelpan Festival - www.internationalmarimbafestival.org