Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is delighted to announce that South African singer, composer and educator NALEDI, the nonprofit organization’s first year-long Artist-in-Residence, will culminate her residency with a dynamic three-act performance titled “Ekhaya, Rebirth to Home.” The performance, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Saturday, May 11 at 6 p.m. at the Fine Arts Auditorium on Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus, located at 11935 Abercorn St. in Savannah, Ga., and will include live music, dance, poetry and storytelling. 

Advance reservations are available on Eventbrite or by clicking HERE.

NALEDI worked collaboratively with local dancer and choreographer MiKeshia McPhaul to create a multidisciplinary, creative production exploring the human life cycle and the perspective of home with childlike curiosity. With an artistic process informed by Afro-centered practices, ritual, celebration and rites of passage, NALEDI and McPhaul combine improvised music, choreography and spoken word into one thrilling expression of the human experience.

“‘Ekhaya, Rebirth to Home’ is a work that aims to highlight how our differences unify us and draw us closer,” said accomplished performer, vocalist and storyteller NALEDI. “We all go through the basic stages of life — birth, death and the afterlife — but we experience them differently. Through a combination of song, dance and spoken word, we will portray these pivotal moments and invite the audience to reflect on our shared humanity.”

Each act in the performance will represent a different stage of the human life cycle. Act I includes an a capella piece titled Ekhaya, which is the Zulu word for “at home,” and depicts the perspectives of an unborn baby and a pregnant mother before and during birth. Act II addresses the tumultuous phases of life and death, exploring themes of adolescence, identity, relationships and community through an improvisational and interactive experience. The final act focuses on the concept of the afterlife and features a transcendent performance influenced by classical, jazz and alternative music.

A passionate teaching artist, NALEDI believes that music is a gift that can transform lives, inspire action and empower future generations. She grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, graduated from the University of Cape Town and earned a degree in Jazz Performance at The New England Conservatory. In 2019, NALEDI was honored as a Kennedy Center Artist in Residence, where she was mentored by legendary artists including Dee Dee Bridgewater and Jason Moran. Selected as a resident for the Banff International Jazz and Creative Music workshop in Calgary, Canada, NALEDI has performed live at Jazz @ Lincoln Center in New York, The Orbit in Johannesburg, South Africa and the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles.

Throughout her year-long residency with SMF, NALEDI has hosted student workshops and introduced nearly 10,000 K-2 students to South African township jazz through SMF’s Musical Explorers program. Developed in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, the free Musical Explorers program helps local students learn about the culture, history and geography associated with different musical genres.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure having NALEDI with us this year,” said SMF Senior Director of Community Impact Jenny Woodruff. “Her passion for storytelling and her dedication to passing down the traditional music of her ancestors have inspired our Musical Explorers students to embrace different genres of music and to utilize them as tools to tell their own stories.”