Oliver Mtukudzi at

MUSIC 4 ORPHANS Benefit ConcertL
Features

Zimbabwean Music Icon "Tuku" Oliver Mtukdzi and World Class Violinist Daisy Jopling[ b]
And Bashiri Johnson, Bakithi Kumalo, Chaka Ngwenya, Gabrielle Sansone and The Treble Makers,
At Peter North Symphony Space in NYC November 1st at 8:00pm

Music 4 Orphans presents a benefit concert with Zimbabwean music icon and humanitarian “Tuku” Oliver Mtukudzi and the world renowned violinist Daisy Jopling along with percussionist Bashiri Johnson, who performed in Michael Jackson’s film "This Is It,” and South African bass player Bakithi Kumalo, known for his forward/backward bass fill on “You Can Call Me Al,” from Paul Simon’s album “Graceland,” in an electrifying program of music to raise funds to benefit orphans in the USA and Zimbabwe. Also performing are Chaka Ngwenya from Zimbabwe (founder of SARFMRADIO.com, an American-based African web-radio station) and young stage performer/ singer Gabrielle Sansone from New York and the award-winning Hendrick Hudson HS Treble Makers, an all-girls choral group. The Benefit Concert will be held at Peter Norton Symphony Space in NYC on November 1, 2011 at 8:00pm. Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY 10025-6990. Tel: 212.864.5400. For tickets log onto Symphony space at www.SymphonySpace.org Tickets may also be won at www.sarfmradio.com. For information about Music 4 Orphans, log onto www.Music4Orphans.com

Among the program’s musical performances, the song “Orphan”, written and composed by Chaka Ngwenya and produced by Bashiri Johnson and Brian Taylor, will be sung in Shona (Zimbabwe) and English. The song seeks to offer comfort to orphans, and bring into people's awareness the issues millions of children face today. The “Orphan” song track is currently in production and will include world-class musicians and vocalists Roberta Flack, Kymani Marley, Third World, Oliver Mtukudzi, Bashiri Johnson, Daisy Jopling and many others.

Music 4 Orphans is a group of world class musicians who have come together to perform concerts and write music to inspire and raise funds for orphans and underprivileged children. Their mission is to empower young minds worldwide through the experience and performance of music.

Profits from the concert will support production costs of Music 4 Orphans’ next two concerts in Zimbabwe and South Africa: Harare Zimbabwe on February 3, 2012; and Cape Town South Africa, on February 5, 2012. All profits from the African concerts will be donated to the orphans and underprivileged children in Zimbabwe to help launch a strings program in "Pakare Paye", Oliver Mtukudzi's Music Academy in Harare, and to support the N.S.F.C Salvation Army Guruve project in Zimbabwe.http://www.tukumusik.com/news/88-new-board-new-vision-for-pakare-paye.html http://www.newsoundsforchrist.com/Zim-forweb.pdf

In NYC, Music 4 Orphans is collaborating with the Police Athletic League (PAL) to offer 300 local school children the opportunity to attend an afternoon performance of the "Music 4 Orphans NYC” show at Symphony Space at 5pm on November 1, 2011. They will offer a five-session workshop given by Scarlett Antonia at the PAL Centers in NYC to teach youths about producing a show prior to the November 1st concert. Between twelve and fifteen children will perform a 5 minute piece at the beginning of the afternoon performance at 5pm on November 1st in Symphony Space. Music 4 Orphans will also help to fund a strings music program in the Peekskill Elementary schools in NY.

In Zimbabwe, Music 4 Orphans will perform in local schools and orphanages during the days leading up to the main concerts in February 2012. The organization will offer orphans and underprivileged children an opportunity to attend concerts of the highest international level for free.

Oliver Mtukudzi Africa. Lovingly called "Tuku" for short ) is one of the most distinguished and best-selling artists in his home country of Zimbabwe, Africa., Tuku has been heavily influenced by chimurenga, the genre pioneered by Mapfumo that is inspired by the hypnotic rhythms of the mbira (thumb piano). However chimurenga is just one of many styles performed by Tuku, as his music also incorporates pop influences, South African mbaqanga, the energetic Zimbabwean pop style JIT, or the traditional kateke drumming of his clan, the Korekore. While Tuku’s music is undeniably contagious, it is his lyrics that have captured the hearts of his people. The words to his songs, performed in the Shona language of Zimbabwe as well as English, invariably deal with social and economic issues. www.tukumusik.com

“A sublimely gifted musician” according to Time Out Magazine, London born Violinist Daisy Jopling now lives in NYC and has toured worldwide with the creative string trio “Triology,” with whom she has recorded 4 CDS, 2 with BMG RCA Victor ( www.triology.cc ) and arranged and recorded the music of Hans Zimmer in Hollywood, for films “Spanglish” and “The Road to El Dorado”. Her first solo album, "Key to the Classics" was recently released with the NYC producer Bojan Dugic. Currently, she is creating her own show "Daisy Jopling's World on a String.” In addition to her work with Music 4 Orphans, The Daisy Jopling Band is touring in China, Japan, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Turkey, Sweden, Norway, Italy and Mexico. www.daisyjopling.com

Director for the show is Scarlett Antonia, owner of Antonia Arts, Inc. located in Westchester County.

For more information on the Music 4 Orphans concert go to www.music4orphans.com.

Media inquiries, please contact Cindy Beer-Fouhy at [email protected]

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