African choir saving lives from poverty to perform at Aberfeldy

Jun 26 2009 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

HIGHLAND Perthshire will ring to the harmonies of the African Children’s Choir this weekend as the group’s UK tour lands in Aberfeldy.

The town’s Church of Scotland kirk will host the youngsters, drawn from all corners of the continent, from 7.30pm tomorrow.

The group have previously performed at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms series, as well as on Live8 and in front of US Presidents inside the pentagon.

Formed in 1984 by human rights activist Ray Barnett while he was working in Uganda, the choir is hoping to expand its reach and cater for up to 8000 orphans through its “Music for Life” initiative.

There are currently ten centres across Africa. But the organisation will need to create 150 more if it is to reach its ambitious target, centred, in particular, on the Nkomazi region of South Africa.

For more information on the African Children’s Choir, email: kathryn.neill@africanchildrenschoir.com.

Tickets for the Aberfeldy leg of the group’s UK tour are available from the town’s health centre (01887 820 366) or the Watermill book shop (01887 822 896).