Sharon Katz &
The Peace Train

Performer • Educator • Vocalist •
Composer • Arranger

High energy and a major dose of inspiration for students wanting to make a difference in the world.

Sharon’s assembly programs bring an exciting mixture of traditional African rhythms and harmonies with the contemporary jazz-folkrock fusions and lyrics of this millennium. The visually and musically enticing performances are interactive and feature songs, stories, language instruction and dance lessons. Recommended for global studies students studying apartheid, South Africa, language or life in a third world country. Also offering hands-on workshops and multiple day residencies for K-12 and students of all ages.

Excellent for diversity training, character building, inspiration and offering students and teachers the opportunity to meet someone who has and continues to make a difference.

Sharon’s dynamic hour-long assemblies incorporate a second performer, usually a South African singer-dancer. Sharon can perform as a quartet and she likes to customize her program to meet your goals. Discussion and demonstration of Zulu language and a vocabulary list are available with teacher resource guide.

Please contact us with your vision, we'd love to make it happen! —Sharon

Workshops

The hands on workshops incorporate songs in the Xhosa and Zulu  language, traditional Zulu dance steps including the Gumboot dance, which originated with the mine workers in the gold mines of South Africa.

Sharon and her singing and dance partner represent a new South Africa, in which black and white work together side by side. Together the two musicians teach songs and dances that tell the story of South Africa’s brutal past and hopeful present. “Jikela Maweni Siyahamba” (It is a long journey to travel from the countryside to the goldmines.) is in the Xhosa language and is accompanied by simple easy to follow movements. Once the song has been learned, the Gumboot dance, usually performed by mine-workers, is also taught. Consisting of clapping, slapping legs and stamping, this dance is immediately engaging and exciting. Zulu dance steps and songs are taught as well as songs such as Sharon’s original composition “Mandela” that tells the story of courage in the face of adversity and speaks to the visionary brilliance of Nelson Mandela.

Residency Programs

When Sharon and her singing and dance partner conduct residencies, they start by explaining the history and issues of their country through songs and dances and they gradually build the musical and dance vocabulary of the participants day by day. Their residencies can meet a wide variety of needs and expectations and we will work with you to design a program that fulfills your objectives. They have conducted residencies with school choirs, school band and dance groups, social studies and history classes and very often design residencies in which the entire school participates. Sharon and her colleagues are highly skilled at working with large groups. They do a series of workshops with the selected groups and prepare them for a culminating student concert performance, sometimes bringing in additional musicians from the band to perform with her and the students in this concert. These final concerts become major Peace Train events that showcase the South African music and dances that the students have learned in their short time together with The Peace Train.

Orchestra Projects and Audience Development

In 1995 Sharon Katz was commissioned to score her compositions for the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra. She subsequently mounted “Crossing Rhythms”, featuring her 25-member performing group, a 10-piece band, and dancers and traditional musicians from Ghana. Following the stunning performances, Sharon staged this concert in Ghana with the Ghana Symphony Orchestra. The scores are owned by Sharon and can be performed by full orchestra. The brass parts are easy to read and are often performed by the brass section of school orchestras and bands. The involvement of an orchestra in a final production helps to build audience development.

For performance videos, music clips or a video presentation about the history of The Peace Train and what it is today, to learn more about Sharon's ongoing service learning projects and the new school in South Africa, or to find out more about Sharon's trips to South Africa: please go to Sharon's website: www.sharonkatz.com.

Typical Applications

• Program Logistics
• Assemblies
• Workshops