Only one gospel choir in the world has performed with Bono, Aretha Franklin, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Josh Groban, Celine Dion and John Legend.

It’s an ensemble that has been featured on “The Today Show,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”

And that choir — which made its U.S. debut in Gainesville in 2003 and calls the University of Florida its American home — is the Soweto Gospel Choir from South Africa.

On Friday, the three-time Grammy Award winners return for the fifth time to Gainesville, where they will perform the new production, “African Grace,” at the Phillips Center.

“We’ve got a very special relationship with Gainesville,” said Sipokazi Nxumalo, a 28-year-old alto singer and narrator for the choir. “The choir is very excited to come back.”

Performing tribal, traditional and popular African and Western gospel, the choir combines singing, dancing and storytelling with colorful costumes and a four-piece band.

“I assure you it’s going to be great,” Nxumalo said. “I cry every time we rehearse. It will be the best the Soweto Choir has ever offered.”

Gainesville residents can expect a two-hour performance with about 80 percent being a capella singing. The audience can also look forward to songs such as “Many Rivers to Cross,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Arms of An Angel,” she says.

“‘African Grace’ reflects where the choir is and where it came from,” she said. “This time we are thanking God because we see his grace in the choir.”

Consisting of 28 singers while on tour, the choir’s members are all from Soweto, a lower-class urban area in Johannesburg, or neighboring areas.

Nxumalo, who was a 19-year-old living with her mom, a single parent, became a founding member of the choir when she was asked to try out after auditioning for “Popstar,” a singing competition similar to “American Idol.”

“I didn’t think my gift would take me this far and that the choir would be so amazing,” she says.

But Michael Blachly said he knew the Soweto choir was something amazing the first time he heard about it. As the director of UF Performing Arts, he was responsible for organizing the choir’s American debut.

“I read a review on them from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland,” Blachly says. “And it was everything you could hope to hear about an artist: energy, harmony and uplifting.”

Once he heard the choir for the first time, he said it was their vocal power that stood out.

“They sing in six of the 11 official languages of South Africa,” he says. “The harmony and excitement that they bring to the stage, I promise you will not be disappointed.”

There are short snippets from the concert as well as a quick soundbyte from Lungi.

The Soweto Gospel Choir, a seasoned bunch of soul-singers, is coming to Gainesville to perform at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 3.

The two-time Grammy and Emmy award-winning choir from South Africa is touring the United States from January to April. The nomadic group is stopping in Gainesville for one night only.

O, The Oprah Magazine, said of the choir, “The 26-member troupe proves that joy is nondenominational… Soweto Gospel Choir makes our world seem beautifully small.”

Kevin Williams, a guitarist and vocalist for the group, is excited for the tour and to be back in the United States.

gospel-2He said that people from all over come to see The Soweto Gospel Choir perform. They have performed in Australia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America.

“We do not call them fans,” Kevin says. “We call them family, because wherever we go, we are accepted.”

The choir, in addition to earning many awards, has performed for former president Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno. The Soweto Gospel Choir has even performed with top artists such as Bono and John Legend.

“We do a lot of gospel songs. Most of the songs—although we sing them in different languages—still have the same messages. Even if you don’t understand it, you can still get the feeling,” he says.

The musicians and vocalists, however, believe that it is their duty to support individuals who are less fortunate, specifically those affected by AIDS. The choir’s charity “Nkosi’s Haven/Vukani” has offered aid in the form of food and clothing donations, payment for funerals, and helping young children who have become orphans as a result of the AIDS outbreak. The program has raised more than $600,000 through the choir’s performances.

The choir blends traditional South African vocals and dress with some components of popular songs. The group has been known to include songs like Bob Marley’s “One Love” and Sarah McLachlan’s “Arms of an Angel.”

gospel-1The Soweto Gospel Choir made its American recording debut with Shanachie Entertainment in 2004 when they recorded “Voices from Heaven.”  This song hit number one on the Billboard World Music charts and was in the top five of CMJ’s World Music charts. The choir’s album Blessed followed in 2005. The fifth album, African Grace, was released in 2011.

Tickets are currently on sale for the event in Gainesville and run at about $30 each, with discounted tickets available for students.

“No matter the weather, no matter where we are, we are never shaky and we are never nervous,” Kevin says. “We are always excited to be on stage.”