On Monday, April 23 from 6:30-7:30pm, the Marimba Band from Maru-a Pula-School in Botswana will play on the Koch Center Starfield at Deerfield. The concert is free but the musicians will sell CDs in an effort to raise scholarship money for AIDS orphans.Â
The band, comprised solely of MaP students, has been running for nearly 25 years and this is their fifth US tour. On previous tours, they have been featured on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and have played live on the NBC Today Show.Â
The band leader is Alport Mhlanga, one of the world’s leading marimba composers; his compositions are played across the world. His music is a major part of schools’ marimba curriculum at schools in Seattle, Portland and elsewhere. He has been an Artist-in-Residence at Williams College several times, most recently in January, 2012.
Maru-a-Pula is one of Africa’s leading secondary schools, 670 students, co-ed, day and boarding, 77% African students, 23% from 34 different countries, noted for its tradition of community service and academic excellence. Besides sharing marimba music, their tour is focused on raising funds for the MaP Orphan and Vulnerable Children Scholarship Fund.
