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News Release

Contact: Mary Tosch, Campus Activities Board
(815) 753-1421

Oct. 28, 2003

NIU gets funky with
Sharon Katz & the Peace Train

DE KALB – “The African band that rocks” – there is no sentence in the English language to better describe Sharon Katz and the Peace Train, which will be chugging its way into the Carl Sandburg Auditorium at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, on Northern Illinois University’s DeKalb campus.

Hailing from South Africa, Sharon Katz and the Peace Train has played to an international audience to much acclaim, including that of Nelson Mandela, after the group performed at his 75th birthday party. Even legend Joni Mitchell has proclaimed the group to be amazing and having a sound so unique and rich that there is no way anyone could not snap a finger or tap a toe while listening.

The band consists of six members, including Sharon, and the Peace Train is a multinational choir that began when Sharon successfully broke through the brutal clutch of apartheid. Among the band’s many notable U.S. performances are the New Orleans Jazz Fest, the National Liberty Museum, Carnegie Hall, and even jamming with Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Disney World. The group also has performed with many music legends, including Sir Elton John, Paul Simon and Madonna.

Tickets are on sale at the Holmes Student Center Box Office or order by phone at (815) 753-3146. Prices are $5 for NIU students with a valid student ID; $13 for faculty and staff, children 8-18, and adults over 65; and $16 for general admission. The NIU Campus Activities Board Fine Arts Series is funded in part by the NIU Student Association.

Additional funds are provided by the Illinois Art Council, in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts. Promotional assistance provided by the Daily Chronicle, Midweek, DeKalb County Weekly, WDKB 94.9 (B 95) and WNIU Radio.

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