“Just before everyone drives out of Johannesburg to their various holiday destinations, we felt that this would be a better way to get them into the festive season singing songs of praise with us just for one last time this year,” said co-founding member Lindelani Mkhize.

Mkhize said the recording would feature new members selected from auditions held around the country last year.

“For Joyous 16, we shift the focus to the literal meaning of ‘joyous celebration.’ We want to rejoice and revel through music. The sound is going to be more light-hearted with a lot of sing-alongs and ensembles within the big group,” he added.

The band recently wrapped up its 2011 tour with a well-received concert at the Ayoba Festival at Montecasino.

Tickets to the concert are priced between R150 and R300 and can be booked via Computicket or any Shoprite/Checkers outlet.

The talented singer will be joined on stage by a Pretoria vocal group called Bafana Ba Sebesho on 11 December.

Music is always one of this festival’s main attractions. Each year, the line-up features a range of artists from different genres, including jazz, kwaito, gospel and rock. Other top musicians billed to perform this year include Lira, Thandiswa Mazwai and The Parlotones.

The two-week-long festival will also feature performances in comedy, dance and drama.

Tickets are available at Computicket.

“This is going to be a special show! The brothers will be performing their biggest tracks, making this one of the most exciting shows of 2011,” says event spokesperson Thabo Sephuma.

Luthando and Ntobeko Ngcizela gained prominence in 2008 with the release of their debut album, The Beginning. They went on to perform all over the country and produce hits for top musicians such as Theo Kgosinkwe, Jub Jub and Kelly Khumalo.

Winans, who has released numerous gospel hits in the past two decades, is also scheduled to appear at Macufe in Bloemfontein on October 8.

Tickets for the Carnival City concert are available at Computicket.

Native Rhythms Productions is partnering with Sony Music Entertainment to fuse gospel and contemporary music in a unique event dubbed The Gospel in Me Concert.

“The initiative will showcase the sacred side of South Africa’s leading singers who, despite their church background, chose not to focus on gospel music,” says Native Rhythms Productions founder Sipho Sithole.

“By presenting these artists singing Gospel music, we provide an interesting twist and fresh perspective to a music genre that has been the preserve of only Gospel artists,” he adds.

Top musicians including Loyiso Bala and Gloria Bosman will perform at the first concert scheduled to take place on 2 October at The Lyric Theatre. The other concert will take place in November.

Sithole says more artists will be unveiled at the inaugural launch happening at Native Rhythms Lounge on Wednesday, 28 September.

The SABC is also supporting the initiative and will broadcast all the concerts.

Tickets are priced between R 150 and R 350 and are available at Computicket.

Based in Johannesburg, the four-member Bosmont Male Group (BMG) has been performing predominantly in churches around Gauteng, and they are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform for a much bigger audience.

“We strive for excellence in all aspects of our ministry and relish the idea of making every event we participate in a success, while at the same time bringing hope for the future and enriching lives via the ministry of the Gospel through Music,” says the group.

Walking the talk, the members of BMG ensure that any money made from their performances either covers the costs of their shows, or, is donated to charity.

Tickets are R100 and the show starts at 19:00. The Promusica Theatre is situated at the Civic Centre in Florida Park, Roodepoort.

Tickets can be purchased by contacting Garth Le Roux on 082 770 5816 or garthle@snatamsky.co.za

Mkhize, who has been out of the formal recording industry for 10 years, says he wants to develop and further expand Universal’s A&R portfolio, specifically for the South African and Sub-Saharan Africa markets.

“Africa is fast becoming one big city; the gap is closing in fast so not only do I look forward to unearthing talent across the continent, I’m also excited about prospects of igniting a fusion of music that will appeal to us all as Africans, these are exciting times”.

About joining Universal Music and the impact he hopes to make, Mkhize says, “Firstly, I want to go back to allowing artists to create the music and ensure that the record company will create the brand. Also, at the end of the day it’s all about market share so I intend to increase Universal’s footprint in South Africa and Africa.”

Harry Voerman, Universal Music Managing Director says; ‘Lindelani’s appointment will further rejuvenate our strategy of strengthening the core of our business – A&R. In addition, he will assist me in all aspects of our business as we continue to transform and reshape our company to reflect the dynamic and challenging environment in which we operate.”

In addition to running Joyous Celebration, Mkhize is the founder of popular reality television show, I Want To Sing Gospel.

The veteran muso, who has released numerous gospel hits with his sister CeCe, will perform at Carnival City’s Big Top Arena on Sunday 9 October, 2011.

“He [Winans] will perform with a full band for more than an hour. This performance will include many of his hits, new material and classics. With such a performance from an artists who have won over 10 major music awards from over 6 albums, every song performed will surely be a memorable and amazing experience to be part of,” says event organiser Massive Events.

Winans last performed in South Africa at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in March this year. He will be supported by local duo The Jaziel Brothers.

An acclaimed muso, Winans has numerous accolades under his belt, including six Grammy Awards, ten Dove Awards, six Stellar Awards, two NAACP Awards and a Soul Train Award.

Along with CeCe, he has won many hearts with hits such as “Heaven”, “I’m Lost Without You”, and the No. 1 hits “Addictive Love” and “I’ll Take You There.”

Tickets are available from Computerticket, Shoprite and Checkers outlets at R280, R450 and R550.