CeCe Winans to Perform with CSO

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announced that best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time, Cece Winans, will perform with the Orchestra in the Classical Roots concert at Music Hall on Friday, March 6, 2020. A popular annual event, Classical Roots brings together 150 singers from churches throughout the region to perform with the CSO, celebrating African American musical traditions. This year's concert will be led by Cincinnati Pops Principal Guest Conductor Damon Gupton.

"It's a true treat for me to be able to collaborate with my hometown Gospel legend, the one and only Cece Winans," said Gupton. "No doubt her joyous spirit combined with the wonderful Classical Roots Community Choir under the direction of Maestro William Henry Caldwell will be something to remember."

Winans has released a slew of duo and solo albums that crossed genres and boundaries and influenced a generation of gospel and secular vocalists. Her mantel today holds a staggering 12 GRAMMY Awards, 23 Dove Awards, and seven Stellar Awards. She's been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Hollywood Walk of Fame and Nashville Music City Walk of Fame, in addition to being named a Trailblazer of Soul by BMI and garnering multiple NAACP Image Awards, Soul Train Awards, Essence Awards, and more. She's sold in excess of five million albums in the U.S. alone, topping the Gospel charts repeatedly while managing to cross over with smashes like "Count On Me," her stunning duet with Whitney Houston from the multi-platinum 'Waiting To Exhale' soundtrack, which sold two million copies and cracked the Top 10 on the Pop, R&B, and Adult Contemporary charts. She touched millions more with inspirational performances everywhere from Oprah to The White House, and even showed off her acting chops on television series like '7th Heaven' and 'Doc.' In 2016, Winans became a member of the Artist Committee for the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.

Classical Roots is one of the most highly-anticipated CSO concerts of the year. It was born out of the CSO performing in area churches several years ago and became an annual tradition at Music Hall in 2011. Past headliners have included Marvin Winans, Take 6, Common and Cynthia Erivo. The concert continues to create bridges between the CSO and the region's neighborhoods with the annual performance and concurrent activities.

Additional concert information will be released at a later date.

Tickets for the Classical Roots concert are on sale now and start at just $14. Tickets are available for purchase by calling the CSO Box Office at 513.381.3300 or visiting cincinnatisymphony.org.