Review: Soweto Gospel Choir

In the darkened Victoria Theater, the audience first heard the singing. It started outside in the lobby with a strong male lead, and continued to increase in volume and intensity. The crowd began to crane their necks, and to squirm in their seats, the better to identify where those wonderful harmonies were originating. After another moment or two, a kaleidoscope colorful costumes and beautiful voices entered and walked through the Victoria Theater audience to the stage: the Soweto Gospel Choir, 25 musicians and singers strong, was here for their first-ever performance in Dayton, Ohio!


The group immediately went into their program, “African Spirit,” which at first included a number of traditional African hymns. Each hymn was sung in either Zulu or Sotho, but it was clear to me that many of these hymns were similar to more familiar “western” hymns in their simple melodies and beautiful harmonies. Each hymn highlighted a different section of the Choir, including a female septet and a male-led hymn with an energetic African dance. The colorful costumes added to the brilliant presentation, with a mix of bright greens, yellows, oranges, blues, fushias, and turquoises adding to the total sensual presentation of the Soweto Gospel Choir.

The next section of the program focused on the Choir’s interpretation of songs from Western artists, including Bob Marley’s “One Love,” Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Remember You,” and the traditional gospel children’s song, “This Little Light of Mine,” one of my highlights of the evening’s performance. In addition to the interpretations of western songs during this portion of “African Spirit,” another of my highlights of the evening was a high-energy performance of an African hymn entitled, “Ahuna Ya Tswanang Le Jesu/Kammatla.” This hymn included, among other things, a call and response between the male and female choir sections, another section of strong dance moves, and even a hint of African “hip-hop” complete with bucket hats and African rapping!

After intermission, the Choir reconfigured for another set of traditional African hymns, sung again in their native Sotho and Zulu after a fun “Dance” and “Canteen” segment which once again highlighted the physical abilities of the Choir. Traditional western hymns including “Amazing Grace,” and another night’s highlight, “Swing Down,” led to the conclusion of the evening’s performance with a joyous version of the popular “World in Union,” to capture the spirit of international friendship brought to the Victoria Theatre by the Soweto Gospel Choir. Not one, but two standing ovations followed, which was a rousing conclusion to the evening’s performance. Concert patron Matt Dunn summed up the evening best on his way out from the performance by stating, “The music was uplifting. It celebrated the human soul. It offered praise to the God who made us. It celebrated life. And it celebrated humanity regardless what side of the globe we're from.” Amen to that and thanks to the Soweto Gospel Choir for an inspirational, entertaining, and enjoyable evening!