For the 10th year in a row the Grand Rapids Symphony will present “Symphony with Soul,” a special collage concert celebrating the richness of African-American musical and cultural expression, in DeVos Performance Hall on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m.
“Symphony with Soul” concert tickets start at $18 and are available at the Symphony office, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 300 Ottawa NW, Suite 100, or by calling 616-454-9451, Ext. 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.) Tickets are available at the DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena Box Offices. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster, 1-800-982-2787, online at www.grsymphony.org, or in person at Ticketmaster outlets: select D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare Stores and Walmart. Student Passport tickets are available for this concert.
Music Director David Lockington will lead the Grammy-nominated Grand Rapids Symphony in this musical extravaganza, which will feature selections from classical, opera, gospel/spiritual, jazz, folk and blues.
Highlights of the community collaboration will include 14-year-old violin phenomenon Randall Goosby, the 125-voice Grand Rapids Symphony Community Chorus, three new arrangements by Grand Rapids’ own Duane Shields Davis, and singer-songwriter and recording artist Lizz Wright, who will perform along with the Symphony and jazz pianist Kenny Banks.
The Grand Rapids Symphony will host its sixth annual “Celebration with Soul” event featuring a dinner and Legacy Award presentations prior to the concert. The award has recently been renamed in honor of the late Dr. MaLinda P. Sapp, a longtime community leader and educator and chair of “Celebration with Soul” since its inception.
The Legacy Award honors community leaders for their extraordinary accomplishments and commitment to the advancement of all people in West Michigan. This year’s recipients of the first Dr. MaLinda P. Sapp Legacy Award are Sonya Hughes, vice president for diversity initiatives and programs for the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Tickets are available for the concert only or for the “Celebration with Soul” event package, which includes social hour, awards dinner, concert and post-concert reception.
“The unparalleled artistic abilities of Lizz Wright, together with rising star Randall Goosby and the talents of local chorus master Duane Shields Davis, will make for an unforgettable evening of celebration.”
“Celebration with Soul” event tickets, which include the social hour, dinner, award presentations, concert and post-concert reception, are $100 and must be ordered by Feb. 19. The $100 tickets can be ordered by contacting Annamarie Buller at abuller@grsymphony.org or 616/454-9451, Ext. 149.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of tickets for the concert and ”Celebration of Soul” will benefit the Mosaic Scholarship Program, part of the Symphony’s education programs which annually serve more than 77,000 people in West Michigan.
For more information on the “Symphony with Soul” concert or the “Celebration of Soul” event, please visit www.grsymphony.org.
