The Northern Arizona University Shrine of the Ages Choir and members of Flagstaff’s Master Chorale, under the direction of Edith Copley, director of Choral Studies, will embark upon a concert tour to South Africa on May 10.
The 74 participants will visit the Apartheid Museum and Soweto in Johannesburg, the site of the June 1976 uprising by students who took to the streets to protest against apartheid, as well as enjoy two game drives to observe wildlife. A flight to Cape Town will offer a ride on a cable car to the top of Table Mountain and visits to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Seal Island, the Cape Point Nature Reserve and a penguin colony.
“International touring is an important part of the NAU choral program, giving our students the opportunity to learn about other cultures—their history, people and music,” Copley said.
The choirs will participate in an African drumming circle and a Sunday Service in a rural black church.
“One of the main reasons I wanted to tour in South Africa,” Copley said, “is that everyone in the country sings—it is a very important part of their lives.”
Hear a preview performance of the South Africa Tour at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 9, at the Church of the Red Rocks in Sedona. Admission is free.