LEWISBURG — Rejoice in music commemorating freedom with three-time Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir, returning to the Weis Center for the Performing Arts stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1.

“It’s a thrill for the choir to tour the United States and Canada again. These talented artists love spreading joy to audiences across the globe. And audiences, no matter where they see the choir, find their performances inspiring and their joy contagious,” said Producer Andrew Kay in a recent press release. “This new concert is something they’ve wanted to do since before the pandemic. They can’t wait to share this music with everyone.”

The program, “Hope: It’s Been a Long Time Coming,” honors the freedom movements in two countries, South Africa and the United States. The choir also will perform selected holiday music.

“An unforgettable night starts with a rousing program of some of the South African freedom songs that inspired their Rainbow Nation, then moves to the United States with beautiful and heartfelt renditions of the music of the civil rights movement featuring works by legendary artists such as Billie Holiday, James Brown, Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield and the one and only Aretha Franklin,” the release said.

Hailing from Soweto, in South West Township, South Africa, a town outside of Johannesburg and home of Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s democratic movement, Soweto Gospel Choir continues to inspire audiences around the world with a powerful blend of African gospel, freedom songs and international classics, according to the release.

The release gave the following biography:

“The Soweto Gospel Choir was formed in 2003 at the end of the apartheid era and during South Africa’s inspiring return to democracy. Taking part in some of the major historical events in the new democratic South Africa, Soweto Gospel Choir are proud to have performed on many occasions for the former President Nelson Mandela and sadly at his state funeral in South Africa and at the subsequent commemorative service at Westminster Abbey in London. They were similarly invited to perform at the funeral service for the late president’s first wife, Winnie Mandela.

“The choir’s patron is human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and are proud to act as ambassadors for the Nelson Mandela Foundation.”

There will be a free pre-performance talk with a member of the choir, facilitated by Tanisha Williams, the Richard E. and Yvonne Smith post-doctoral fellow in botany, from 6:40 to 7 p.m. the same night as the performance, in the Weis Center Atrium.

As part of the engagement, the Weis Center has curated a playlist of protest songs on Spotify. Members of the public are encouraged to suggest songs for the list, according to the press release.

Suggestions can be emailed to lisa.leighton@bucknell.edu or sent through the Weis Center’s Facebook (facebook.com/weiscenter) or Instagram (instagram.com/weis_center) accounts.

The playlist will be played in the Atrium and in the Concert Hall on the evening of the performance, the release said.

Tickets can be reserved by calling 570-577-1000 or online at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice.

Tickets also are available in person from several locations including the Weis Center lobby, open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the CAP Center Box Office on the ground floor of the Elaine Langone Center.

Showgoers are asked to bring donations of canned foods, which will be distributed to local families in need through Union County Children and Youth Services.

For more information, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach director, at 570-577-3727 or by e-mail at lisa.leighton@bucknell.edu.