Grand Rapids Symphony Celebrates 10th Annual “Symphony with Soul” with Singer-Songwriter Lizz Wright, Feb. 26

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.

Kids' Night at GREASE: Buy 1 Adult Ticket, Get Free Child Ticket

Kids’ Night comes to DeVos Performance Hall Wednesday, March 2 at 7:30pm for Grease. Kids up through age 18 can see Grease for FREE when accompanied by a full-paying adult!

In addition to seeing a Broadway show for free, Kids’ Night guests will be treated to a host of activities including Hand Jive lessons from 6-7pm and complimentary 50’s hairstyling in the lobby. GREASE is recommended for ages 10+ due to teen content and language. Kids’ Night tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

GREASE is affordably priced at $27.50-$62.50 and will perform 8 shows at DeVos Performance Hall between Tuesday, March 1 and Sunday, March 6, 2011. Tickets are available at DeVos Performance Hall box office located at 303 Monroe Ave, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, and the Broadway Grand Rapids box office located at 122 Lyon Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Tickets may also be obtained by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet location, Ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available through BroadwayGrandRapids.com or by calling Broadway Grand Rapids at 616-235-6285. Group discounts are available by calling 616-742-6185 or e-mail groupsales@smggr.com.

Adults purchasing a full-priced ticket will receive one free ticket for a child up through age 18 to the same show. Complimentary tickets MUST be used by a child. Tickets must be purchased in multiples of two; each ticket prints at half-price. Theatre personnel may ask to see identification of child at the door. Every individual attending must have a ticket. GREASE is recommended for ages 10+ due to teen content and language. See http://www.broadwaygrandrapids.com/ for details. Parents should use their discretion based on the maturity levels of their children.

Eddie Mekka will star in the tour as DJ “Vince Fontaine.” Eddie is best remembered as Carmine Ragusa on the hit TV classic, “Laverne & Shirley.” The tour also stars Grand Rapids native Audrey Filson making her national tour debut in the role of “Patty Simcox.” Audrey attended South Christian High School and graduated from Belmont University. She performed locally with the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre.

After spending a hopelessly devoted summer with Sandy Dumbrowski, the new girl in town, Danny Zuko's world is thrown upside down when Sandy appears at Rydell High on the first day of school. What follows is a rock n' roll celebration of growin' up, cruisin' with friends and goin' steady. The new version of GREASE™ features, for the first time ever in a Broadway production, songs from the smash hit 1978 film, including “Sandy,” the Academy Award nominated song “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Grease” and “You’re the One That I Want,” the latter two of which were #1 hits on the Billboard Top 100 list. These songs are heard in addition to the Jacobs/Casey songs made famous by the original stage production including “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’” and “We Go Together.”