Sharon Katz and the Peace Train
South African musician, music therapist and humanitarian Sharon Katz began her anti-Apartheid work as a teenager. Soon after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, Sharon formed the country’s first, 500-member multicultural choir and band known as The Peace Train. After Mandela’s presidential victory, Sharon Katz & The Peace Train became the country’s first musical ambassadors of the new democracy with tours across Africa, USA, Canada, Middle East, Mexico, and Cuba.
After making history in South Africa with their tour aboard The Peace Train, CNN filmed Sharon jumping out of a helicopter to promote Nelson Mandela’s vision of a better life for all. This sparked the band’s international career which has featured performances and workshops on three continents; 10 albums including 5 on the Grammy ballot; starring in the award-winning film, When Voices Meet; and being recorded along with Elton John, Tina Turner and Paul Simon for Sting’s Carnival! album. Now with bases on the East and West Coasts of the USA, Sharon Katz & The Peace Train perform as a duo, band, or full production with dancers.
From Carnegie Hall World Music Series to The Getty in LA, from Philadelphia Folk Fest to New Orleans Jazz Fest, South Africa’s Sharon Katz & The Peace Train have thrilled audiences and presenters alike with their Afro-Jazz-Rock-Folk fusion of global music and dance.
Sharon has performed with The Peace Train band throughout North America and used her music to promote humanitarian causes worldwide. She has performed with philharmonic orchestras, community choirs and disenfranchised youth around the world. Proceeds from her concerts and merchandise sales have gone toward building a school, supporting an orphanage, and providing meals and after-school mentorship in South Africa. Sharon has been working in the border region between Mexico and California with migrant children, girls rescued from trafficking, and survivors of torture.
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