SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK
SET FOR AUSTRALIAN CONCERT TOUR JULY 8 - 17 AND HEADLINING APPEARANCE
AT THE FESTIVAL OF VOICES
Tuesday, June 30,
2015, York, NY...SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK,
the Grammy-nominated a cappella ensemble who've built a legacy for
merging an inimitable and distinct harmonic vocal blend with a
veracious commitment to activism, social justice, equality and
freedom are returning to Australia for a mini-tour July 8th - July
18th. The tour will be highlighted by their special guest appearance
at the 12th Annual Festival of Voices scheduled for July 2-12 in
Hobart, Tasmania. The Festival attracts thousands of singers
throughout Australia who learn new repertoire and skills, work with
exceptional teachers, meet fellow vocalists and choristers and
perform at the host venue, the Music Recital Hall in Hobart. Sweet
Honey will be hosting workshops from July 8th - 12th. They will
headline their own concert at the Music Recital Hall on July 10th and
deliver an abbreviated performance with some of featured choir
participants as part the Festival's finale concert on July 12th.
Sweet Honey will also perform major concerts at the Princess Theatre
in Launceston, Tasmania, July 14th, City Recital Hall in Sydney, July
16th and the Melbourne Recital Hall in Melbourne, July 18th. The
ensemble last toured Australia in 2013 which was highlighted by their
performance at the internationally renowned Byron Bay Bluesfest.
"We're truly honored and excited to be invited by The Festival
Of Voices to share the power of our unique musical offerings and
global experience," stated Carol Maillard, one of the group's
founding members. "We're looking forward to collaborating
with all the choral ensembles in the workshops and performing
concerts for our loyal Australian and Aboriginal fans in Hobart,
Launceston, Melbourne and Sydney."
Sweet Honey will be jetting to Australia fresh from the recording
studio in their home base of Washington, DC. The ensemble has been
putting the finishing touches on their first album comprised of
primarily original songs since "Go In Grace," (released in
2008 as the soundtrack for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company's 50th
Anniversary theatrical piece of the same title). Their new album will
also feature several notable cover songs from their live show which
they are recording for the first time. The album is set to be
released this fall on Appleseed Recordings.
Last month the group completed their fourth international US Embassy
tour this year in Swaziland. They were previously invited by the US
Embassies in Ethiopia, Peru and Jamaica in February to help them
honor and celebrate Black History Month.
They performed several major concerts and contributed to community
programs sponsored by the Embassy in each respective country. Last
year, Sweet Honey made their premiere US Embassy tour (August 27- 31)
as part of the Arts Envoy program to Belize. The Arts Envoy
Program is a longstanding outreach program and initiative
sponsored by the US State Department.
One of the major highlights of their visit to Swaziland was their
debut appearance at the MTN Bushfire Festival (May 29-31) which
featured a special collaboration on two songs (one by each artist)
with noted songwriter/singer Floewe (real name Fikile Dhladhla) a
native of Swaziland.. CNN recently noted the Festival is one of the
top seven "must attend music festivals" in Africa.
SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK, which celebrated their 40th Anniversary last
year is comprised of vocalist's Louise Robinson, Carol Maillard,
Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil and Shirley Childress (American
Sign Language Interpreter). The ensemble also features special guest
bassist (acoustic upright and electric bass) Romeir Mendez.
For further information about SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK go to:
www.sweethoneyintherock.org
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