Female A Cappella Quintet from Zimbabwe Opens UW Presents Series Oct. 27

Internationally acclaimed female a cappella quintet Nobuntu will perform at the University of Wyoming Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. in the UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Nobuntu is the opening event for the 2019-2020 UW Presents season, one that is “full of artists representing multiple cultures, countries, artistic genres and musical styles,” says UW Presents Director Philip Moline.

Tickets cost $15 for the public; $12 for senior citizens, and UW faculty and staff; and $10 for students. Tickets are available at the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts box office and the Wyoming Union information desk, by calling (307) 766-6666 or by going online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

Nobuntu is known for its range of musical performance styles, including traditional Zimbabwean songs, Afro jazz and gospel. The female ensemble won Best Imbube Group at the Bulawayo Arts Awards in 2017 and 2019.

Nobuntu has performed in countries throughout the African continent and around the world, including Austria, Belgium, Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic. The quintet also performed a four-stop tour across Canada in 2016.

According to its website, “Nobuntu is an African concept” that values humility, love, unity and family from a woman’s perspective. The ensemble represents a new generation of young African women singers who celebrate and preserve their culture, beauty and heritage through art. The group’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 has released three recordings: “Thina” in 2013, “Ekhaya” in 2016 and “Obabes beMbube” in 2018.

“Thirty seconds into listening to a sample of Nobuntu’s music, I knew I had to book them for the series,” Moline says. “I was immediately impressed by the warmth and power of the group’s five voices and, upon further exploration, was inspired by the values of love and unity represented in their name.”

Each year, UW Presents brings a variety of internationally known performers to the UW campus, often at ticket prices much less than at larger venues. UW Presents assists the university in its broad educational mission by presenting a balanced program of music, theater and dance, featuring performances by artists of national and international distinction.

This season features three performances during the fall semester and five spring semester performances. All shows will take place in either the Performing Arts Center or the UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

For more information, call Moline at (307) 766-5139 or email pmoline@uwyo.edu.