The Performing Arts Center presents Sweet Honey in the Rock Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The Grammy Award-winning African-American ensemble is internationally renowned for stunning vocal performances that combine spiritual and gospel hymns with blues and jazz improvisation. Tickets are $23 (rear balcony) and $28 (orchestra/front balcony). Tickets are half price for UGA students.
Sweet Honey in the Rock was founded by Bernice Johnson Reagon in 1973 at the D.C. Black Repertory Theater Company. Over the past 34 years, the group has become a vital and innovative presence in the music culture of Washington, D.C., and in communities of conscience around the world. Sweet Honey takes its name from Psalm 81:16 which promises that the people will be fed by honey out of the rock. The metaphor of sweet honey in the rock captures the essence of these African-American women whose repertoire is steeped in the sacred music of the black church, the clarion calls of the civil rights movement and the songs of the struggle for justice everywhere.
Founder Reagon rooted her ensemble in a deeply-held commitment to create music out of the rich textures of African-American legacies and traditions. The group’s vocal prowess captures the complex sounds of blues, spirituals, traditional gospel, rap, reggae, African chants, hip-hop, ancient lullabies and jazz. Occasionally accompanied by hand percussion instruments, Sweet Honey produces a sound filled with soulful harmonies and intricate rhythms.
The group’s Athens concert will be sign language interpreted for the hearing impaired.