Grammy Award-Winning Ensemble To Perform At CWU

April 10, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Get ready to hear the sweet sound of voices ringing out in Central Washington University's Music Building Concert Hall as the CWU Performing Arts and Presidential Speaker Series welcomes Grammy Award-winning, internationally renowned African American women's a cappella gospel group Sweet Honey in the Rock to campus. On the heels of an exciting presentation by award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, also part of the speaker series, Sweet Honey promises to fill the room with rich layers of uniquely structured and magnificently harmonized music. Tickets are still available for the electrifying performance, which takes place Saturday, April 12, 2008, at 7 p.m.

Performing since 1973, Sweet Honey has become a major cultural voice for freedom and justice. According to their Web site, the group "has been a vital and innovative presence in the music culture of Washington, D.C., and in communities of conscience around the world."

With deep musical roots in the sacred music of the black church—spirituals, hymns, gospel—as well as jazz and blues, six African American women join their powerful voices and hand percussion instruments to create a blend of lyrics, movement and narrative that variously relate history, point the finger at injustice, encourage activism and sing the praises of love. The music speaks out against oppression and exploitation of every kind. The performance is simultaneously interpreted in uniquely expressive American Sign Language.

Tickets are $35 reserved, $25 general and $15 students with I.D. Call 509-963-1301 for tickets. Visit www.sweethoney.com for information about Sweet Honey in the Rock. For more information about the CWU Performing Arts and Presidential Speaker Series, visit www.cwu.edu/president/series.

Contact: Marian Lien, CWU Office of the President, lienma@cwu.edu, 509-963-1976
Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu, 509-963-1416

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.