Their "Journey of Hope" tour stops at Orchestra Hall on Sunday, April 13 at 3 p.m. for a heartwarming concert that is part of the Northwest Airlines World Music Series.

The African Children's Choir program contains both traditional and new music and dance selections from tribes and communities throughout the continent. Pieces such as "The Fishing Songs," "The Harvest Song" and "The Hunting Song" depict life and customs in Africa. The "Runyege Dance" is a traditional Ugandan courting song in which young men dance their hearts out to attract a bride. Songs such as "Nkosi Sekale," the South African National Anthem; "Homeland," an original piece composed especially for the choir; and Hans Zimmer and Lebo Morake's haunting "Shadowland" are love letters to a troubled yet spectacular continent. The concert also contains a Dance Tutorial in which the children teach the audience members how to perform tribal dances from countries including Rwanda, Congo and South Africa.

The African's Children Choir was founded in Uganda in 1984 and has since expanded to Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, the Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and South Africa. Each year, a new choir is selected from some of Africa's most desperate villages. Many of the children have lost one or both parents to poverty or disease. Born into a terrible pandemic, these children have risen above their circumstances and are making a positive impact by serving as a voice for their families, friends and villages in Africa.

The Choir serves as the main fundraising branch for its parent organization, the Music For Life Institute. The proceeds from tours contribute to education and relief efforts for more than 8,000 African children affected by poverty and disease as well as providing educational and social opportunities to choir alumni. Their current mission is to provide children returning from tour with an outstanding residential and educational facility by creating the African Children's Choir (ACC) Academy. -- www.detroitsymphony.com