Ohio Wesleyan to Host West Africa’s Senegal St. Joseph Gospel Choir
West Africa’s Senegal St. Joseph Gospel Choir will perform Sept. 20 at Ohio Wesleyan as part of the university’s Performing Arts Series. This is the choir’s first North American tour. (Photo courtesy of Senegal St. Joseph Gospel Choir)
DELAWARE, Ohio – For more than 60 years, West Africa’s Senegal St. Joseph Gospel Choir has celebrated the harmony of different cultures and performed unique interpretations of gospel spirituals, traditional African tunes, Catholic liturgy, and indigenous Muslim songs in each of the country’s four main languages.
The choir will lift hearts and spirits when it performs at Ohio Wesleyan University at 8 p.m. Sept. 20 as part of its debut North American tour. The choir will perform in University Hall’s Gray Chapel, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Tickets for the 2014-2015 OWU Performing Arts Series event are available now.
The Senegal St. Joseph Gospel Choir includes 15 singers and four traditional Senegalese drummers. The group was founded in 1950 by Julien Jouga, ambassador artist for peace for the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
Jouga, now deceased, was a commandant in the Senegalese Army and sought to preserve traditional culture while exploring Catholic and Muslim influences. He also served as the choir’s first leader, a role now held by Music Director Ambroise N’Diong.
Tickets for the Senegal St. Joseph Gospel Choir are $20 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens and non-Ohio Wesleyan students with a valid school ID. Admission is free for Ohio Wesleyan students and employees with a valid OWU ID. For tickets, visit pas.owu.edu, call (740) 368-3629, or email paseries@owu.edu.
Additional 2014-2015 Performing Arts Series events include:
8 p.m. Jan. 24, 2015 – A Portable Theater performing “Tales from the Grave,” a crowd-pleasing show set in old-time-radio style. The play will be performed in OWU’s Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens and non-Ohio Wesleyan students with a valid school ID. Admission is free for Ohio Wesleyan students and employees with a valid OWU ID. For tickets, visit pas.owu.edu, call (740) 368-3629, or email paseries@owu.edu. Learn more at pas.owu.edu.
7:30 p.m. May 2, 2015 – The Central Ohio Symphony performing the U.S. premiere of “The Great Animal Orchestra,” inspired by Bernie Krause, a musician, acoustician, and sound environmentalist who uses sound to document human activity on the environment. Led by conductor Jaime Morales-Matos, the concert will be held in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Reserved-seat tickets are $25 and $20 for senior citizens. Tickets are $6 for non-Ohio Wesleyan students. To order, call the Central Ohio Symphony at (740) 362-1799 or visit www.centralohiosymphony.org. A limited supply of free tickets is available to Ohio Wesleyan students and employees with a valid OWU ID. For university tickets, email owutickets@centralohiosymphony.org. Learn more at pas.owu.edu.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private, coed university offers more than 90 undergraduate majors, minors, and concentrations, and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world practice. OWU’s 1,850 students represent 42 states and 37 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.