For the YellowJackets, the adventurous a cappella group from The University of Rochester, finding new ways to push the boundaries has always been a priority. That is why, after hearing about a choir of AIDS orphans in rural Kenya, the group decided to fly half way around the world to an unfamiliar continent to sing with them. The trip left both groups changed forever.

Like many Americans traveling to Africa for the first time, they came with all sorts of pre-conceived notions about what it would be like and what they could do to make a difference. And like most Kenyan’s seeing an American for the first time, many of the children of Mbaka Oromo Primary School were apprehensive and did not know what to make of these visitors. Then the two groups started singing together and everything changed.

United We Sing is the story of what happened when two choirs sang together, but it is also the story of how people from different worlds—America and Kenya, rich and poor, black and white—came to understand one another through music, and of how empowering others is the best way to drive real, sustainable change. This is a story that the world needs to hear, especially now.

Walk through the slums of Kibera, meet the women who would not be defeated by AIDS, and partake in an exchange of music, culture, and love. You will certainly laugh, and you may very well cry as you move through this thought-provoking experience with the YellowJackets.

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