THE Soweto Gospel Choir will detour from its national Australian tour for what is sure to be an emotional performance at Mount Beauty on Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They are making their third visit to the North East town for a special benefit performance to honour Tawonga South resident David Vigo, who lost a battle with cancer on July 10.
Vigo was instrumental in establishing the world-renowned African choir.
Mount Beauty Neighbourhood Centre manager Trish Dixon said Vigo had also contributed a lot to the community and the concert would be a fine tribute.
“David had been quite sick for the past 18 months with cancer and his partner thought it would be really lovely to bring the choir up here in honour of David … he passed away two weeks ago, so now it is a memorial event,” she says.
“It’s a really great tribute, actually acknowledging the great things he’s done for the town and in his life.”
Vigo and his former business partner Andrew Kay founded the Soweto Gospel in 2002.
He spoke about the choir and the planning for its latest trip to Mount Beauty shortly before his death.
“We looked around South Africa for a suitable choir that could tour but all the choirs we looked at were either too big or too young, so we decided to form our own choir,” Vigo said.
“I contacted Bev Bryar who worked with me in Australia before returning to Johannesburg and she contacted a local pastor and choir master and he organised auditions.
“A few months later the choir toured Australia.”
There was just a handful of the 300 tickets available from the Mount Beauty Newsagency for the July 29 concert and all proceeds will go to the Mount Beauty Neighbourhood Centre.
“Andrew Kay rang me and said that he would like to bring the choir to Mount Beauty to sing for me and suggested we sell the tickets to raise money for my favourite local charity.
“I couldn’t think of a better cause than the Neighbourhood centre because I really admire the work they do.”
The choir will perform at the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday, August 3, and The Cube Wodonga the following night.
Since its formation, the Soweto Gospel Choir has won more accolades than any other choir in the world.
It has won four Grammy Awards, two in its own right and two in collaboration with other artists, an Emmy Award for its work with Bono and U2 as well as an Academy Award nomination for its collaboration with Peter Gabriel on the Disney Pixar film Wall E.
The choir has recorded and performed with some of the world’s greatest artists including U2, Queen, Peter Gabriel, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Robert Plant, Celine Dion, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Jennifer Hudson, Dianna Ross, Josh Grobin, Johnny Clegg as well as Andre Rieu.