Simon Fraser University choirs are singing in the season with a concert celebrating hope.
The SFU Choir and SFU Chamber Choir are presenting their annual winter concert, Songs of Hope and Freedom, on Sunday, Dec. 4 at the university.
The concert takes a look back at a time of history that was unfamiliar to many of the student singers: apartheid.
The choir will be presenting a range of music by South African composers in the time of apartheid, and the chamber choir will be performing songs themed after the end of apartheid.
“Several of the songs that the chamber choir will be singing have never been performed before, and the SFU Chamber Choir is honoured to debut them,” a press release notes.
The release notes the theme of apartheid was chosen as an educational piece after the director was surprised to learn that many young university students were unaware of the era in South African history. The practice of racial segregation came to an end in 1994.
For this concert, the songs have been purchased directly from their composers by the not-for-profit choir.
The SFU Choir, which is nearly 100 members strong, is open to students, staff, alumni and the community. It sings a wide range of music from various genres and attracts members from all areas of study.
The Songs of Hope and Freedom concert is on Dec. 4 at 1 p.m. in the Diamond Family Auditorium, near Convocation Mall at SFU’s Burnaby Mountain campus.
Tickets are $20 regular, or $10 for concession and students. Kids 12 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online through www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2715047 or through www.facebook.com/SFUChoir.
