World Voices Choir CD Release UBUNTI: Humanity Towards Others Songs From Africa

February 16, 2007
National Library Of Canada
Auditorium 7:30 p.m.

The World Voices Choir of Brookfield High
School is a group that seeks to combine excellence in performance with a
love of world music and a passion for global citizenship. Audiences will
have an opportunity to experience that commitment with the launch of the
World Voices Choir CD. To celebrate the CD launch a performance is
scheduled for Friday, February 16 at the National Library of Canada at
7:30 p.m. The CD will be available for sale at the event.

The choir’s performances have both educated and entertained the citizens
of Ottawa. Their musical style has been described as a celebration of
culture in word, action and music. This group cannot be defined by the
word choir as it is truly a complete theatrical experience. As a group,
choir members sing and speak in over a dozen languages and study music
from traditional cultures the world over.

This year they are focusing on music from Africa and the African Diaspora,
which will be featured on their CD Ubuntu: Humanity Towards Others. The
proceeds from the release party, as well as $7 from every CD sold, will
support youth initiatives by the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in South
Africa. In addition to collaborations with the Nelson Mandela Children's
Fund, choir members work within the school to plan Black History Month
activities, raise awareness of development issues related to HIV/AIDS,
educate fellow students about the Millennium Development Goals and promote
fair trade.

Last year a number of choir members travelled to New York City where they
had the opportunity to tour the United Nations. The U.N. building and the
work done within those walls was a reminder of how important it is to
continue the mission of spreading tolerance at both the local and global
levels.

The production of the CD was funded by the Education Foundation of Ottawa.
The projects that Brookfield’s World Voices Choir will be supporting in
South Africa include a youth basketball league, a theatre project with a
focus on traditional music, and a recording project in Johannesburg. All
of these projects have components of youth leadership, team building,
HIV/AIDS awareness and of course, two are musical!

Special guests at the concert will include local blues singer Maria
Hawkins, Gospel sensation Kathy Grant Mahon, Harmonia Choir of Ottawa and
the Bayview Public School’s grade 3/4 choir. Brookfield Music Teacher
Jeannie Hunter is the Artistic Director of the World Voices Choir. A
classically-trained trumpet player, she found her real passion when she
began to study world music and combined the field of music with an
interest in development issues. She believes strongly in the ability of
vocal music to create cross-cultural understanding, awareness, and change.

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