Ladysmith Black Mambazo Plays the Nashville Symphony, 3/14

Nashville Symphony is pleased to announce that Ladysmith Black Mambazo will perform at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Monday, March 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets will go on sale to the public Friday, January 14, at 10 a.m. This concert will be presented without orchestra.

Known for melding South African harmonies and rhythms with the sound and soul of gospel music, the group formed more than 40 years ago. They took their name by combining Ladysmith, director Joseph Shabalala's hometown; the color black, which symbolizes the strength of a black oxen; and the Zulu word mambazo, which means ax. The group's sound is based on traditional music called isicathamiya (is-cot-a-ME-Ya), created by workers in the mines of South Africa. Ladysmith Black Mambazo's harmonies were so tight and their performances so professional that during their early years they were banned from local competitions. For the past 25 years, they have circled the globe with their uplifting and energetic concerts.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo were instrumental in Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland and in the years since have since recorded with Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, Emmylou Harris, among many others. Their voices have been heard on the soundtrack of such films as Disney's The Lion King, Coming to America, A Dry White Season and Cry the Beloved Country, starring James Earl Jones. Continuing to sing and record, the group will release a trilogy of CDs in 2011
that share their life experiences. Volume one is titled Songs From a Zulu Farm and will be released this month.

Tickets for Ladysmith Black Mambazo's performance at Schermerhorn Symphony Center will be available online at NashvilleSymphony.org or by phone at 615.687.6400.

The GRAMMY® Award-winning Nashville Symphony has a growing international reputation for its recordings and innovative programming. With 140 performances annually, the 83-member orchestra is an arts leader in Nashville and beyond, offering a broad range of classical, pops and jazz concerts, special events, children's concerts and community engagement programs. As a national and international ambassador for the citizens of Tennessee, the Nashville Symphony has received far-reaching acclaim for its 18 recordings on Naxos, making the ensemble one of the most active recording orchestras in the country. These recordings have received fifteen total GRAMMY® nominations.

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