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Growing voices

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-23 11:14

The Kenyan Boys Choir enjoyed little acclaim outside of their homeland before they performed at US President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony in June.

But their uplifting music, which conveys messages of joy and hope, captivated global attention on that fateful day.

The choir will soon perform at Poly Theater as part of the Beijing Music Festival.

Founded in 1998 by the inspirational, self-taught vocalist Joseph Muyale, the choir comprises 25 boys from various Kenyan tribes aged 13 to 24.

The group's original goal was to help underprivileged boys raise money to pay their school fees. It performs traditional Masai and Samburu chants, and contemporary African and European classical songs.

Universal Music Group representatives waited for the choir at the airport in London as the group made its way from Obama's inauguration back to Nairobi to ink a deal for the release of the chorus' debut album Spirit of Africa on Decca Records.

The upcoming album features traditional and contemporary songs from around Africa, including Homeless, Nkosi Sikelel'l Afrika and Jambo Bwana. It will whisk listeners away to an epic land of sun-baked savannahs, vibrant colors, big smiles, and warmth and hope.

7:30 pm, tonight

Poly Theater, Dongsi Shitiao, Chaoyang district, Beijing