Female A Cappella Quintet Nobuntu Returns to the Lakewood Cultural Center

Back by popular demand, the female a cappella quintet Nobuntu returns to the Lakewood Cultural Center stage for two performances of mbube music featuring songs from the latest album "Obabes beMbube" (Women of Mbube). From Zimbabwe, the group has drawn international acclaim for its inventive performances that range from a fusion of traditional African songs, Afro jazz and gospel. The ensemble's concerts are performed with pure voices, minimalistic percussion, traditional instruments such as the Mbira (thumb piano) and authentic dance movements.

Nobuntu was founded in 2011 to address the absence of an all-female professional a cappella group in Zimbabwe. "Obabes Bembube," released in late 2018, asserts the group's position as a musical force in the male-dominated mbube genre and represents a bold shift from its previous bodies of work, "Thina" (2013) and "Ekhaya" (2016). Nobuntu celebrates life, nature, divine inspiration and the healing power of music. The ensemble's mission is the belief that music can be an important vehicle for change, one that transcends racial, tribal, religious, gender and economic boundaries.

Nobuntu was nominated for Best Musician of the Year at the Zimbabwe International Women Awards in London in 2015 and is currently a two-time winner for the Best Imbube Group at the Bulawayo Arts Awards 2017 and 2019. The quintet has performed at festivals and concert halls in Europe, North America and throughout the African continent. The ensemble was a huge critical success at "Trans-Vocal" in Frankfurt and "Voice Mania" in Vienna.

Tickets start at $22 and are available at 303-987-7845, Lakewood.org/LCCPresents or the Lakewood Cultural Center Box Office, 470 S. Allison Parkway (Wadsworth and West Alameda Avenue).

The Lakewood Cultural Center Presents 2019-2020 season is generously supported by the SCFD, a unique funding source serving hundreds of metro Denver arts, culture and scientific organizations; Colorado Creative Industries; and the National Endowment for the Arts.