Sharon Katz & The Peace Train perform South African music and original songs in genres of South African music such as Afro Jazz, Mbaqanga and Maskanda, with elements of Funk, Jazz, Son Cubano, Rock and Folk. Sharon is known as an activist and a humanitarian. She is originally from Port Elizabeth (Mandela Bay), South Africa where she co-founded The Peace Train in 1992, after the release of Nelson Mandela from South African prisons, and before his election as South Africa's first democratically elected President. After staging ground-breaking concerts with a 500-voice multicultural children's choir in Durban South Africa, Sharon, her band, over one hundred members of the choir, and Grammy award winning group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, toured South Africa by train, stopping to give concerts along the tour. This was prior to the election of Nelson Mandela as President, and Sharon and her projects have been known around the world ever since as "The Peace Train." The 2015 award winning documentary "When Voices Meet" chronicles this project in great depth and can be seen on Amazon Prime.

Sharon performed for Nelson Mandela's rallies and awards, she appeared with the legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba and she featured on Sting’s Carnival! album with Elton John, Tina Turner, Annie Lennox, Ruben Blades, and Pavarotti. Several of Sharon’s albums have been on the Grammy ballot for Best World Music including Imbizo, Side-By-Side, and her latest album recorded in South Africa and Cuba, We Can Be The Change.

After working on the USA Mexico border for the past two years, where Sharon worked with children rescued from child trafficking and with children of migrants living in shelters at the USA Mexico border, Sharon and her band are delighted to return to perform at Joe's Pub! The upcoming concert features Sharon Katz on guitar and vocals, Wendy Quick and Mpho Tesmer on vocals and dance, Suzette Ortiz on keyboards, Monnette Sudler on bass, Jan Jeffries on percussion, and Eric Roberts on drums. Sharon Katz & The Peace Train have a nonprofit through which they raise funds for an orphanage in South Africa, as well as for humanitarian projects with children in Mexico and Cuba.

Special guest Nonhlanhla Kheswa joins Sharon Katz & The Peace Train. Kheswa joined the cast of Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway and stayed with the show for five years. She became a regular member of Wyclef Jean’s ensembles, while entrenching herself in the city’s jazz scene and Brooklyn’s eclectic music culture. Kheswa won critical acclaim in the role of Matilda in The Suit which  premiered in Paris in 2012 and traveled the world including London, Madrid, Milan, Naples, Beijing, and New York. 

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Photo credit: Marilyn Cohen