MANASSAS , Va. – The Senegal St. Joseph Gospel Choir, an inspiring West African ensemble that lifts the hearts and spirits of all those who hear its glorious voices, brings two soul-stirring evenings of music direct from Dakar to Northern Virginia.
The choir performs at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Friday, Oct. 3, 2014 at 8 p.m. and George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014 at 8 p.m. Pre-performance discussions, free to ticketholders will be held 45 minutes prior to each performance in the Buchanan Partners Art Gallery at the Hylton Center and Grand Tier III at the Center for the Arts (sponsored by the Friends of the Center for the Arts).
The Senegal St. Joseph’s Gospel Choir has become a symbol of peace, hope, humanity and brotherhood throughout its homeland of Senegal since the ensemble’s founding in 1950 by the late Julien Jouga, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Ambassador Artist for Peace.
In addition to being a commandant in the Senegalese Army and a coach of the National Basketball Team of Senegal, Jouga was a musician and an ecumenical partisan who was passionate about creating harmony between the Catholic and Islamic cultures of Senegal.
Each Sunday, the choir performs at St. Joseph of Medina Cathedral in the heart of one of Dakar’s working-class neighborhoods. The voices rise in the polyphonic sounds of traditional African songs, gospel spirituals and magnificent masses composed by the choir’s brilliant founder. Singing in the country’s four national languages – Wolof, Diola, Sérère and Portuguese Creole – the 15-member choir is accompanied by four musicians playing African drums, guitar and kora.
Novant Health is the 2014-2015 Hylton Presents season sponsor.
