Special guest Vanessa Williams is joining the Grand Rapids Symphony on Feb. 28 for the 14th annual Symphony with Soul.

The community celebration of African-American musical expression is at 8 p.m. EST at DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Avenue NW in Grand Rapids, with tickets still available.

The 51-year-old Williams is an accomplished singer, dancer and Broadway and television actress. She is also a producer, author, fashion model, human and civil rights activist and the mother of four.

She is one of few artists to have scored No. 1 and top 10 hits on Billboard's album and singles charts in the combined areas of pop, dance, rhythm and blues (R&B), adult contemporary, holiday, Latin, gospel and jazz music.

The former Miss America last year toured in the theatrical revival of the drama "The Trip to Bountiful," in which she played Jessie Mae Watts and co-starred with Cicely Tyson.

The symphony is being led for the Symphony with Soul concert by music director David Lockington.

The Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority’s Community Inclusion Group presents Symphony with Soul.

In addition, $25 after-party tickets are available with Symphony with Soul concert tickets. Call (616) 454-9451, ext. 4, to order those.

Celebration of Soul

Preceding Symphony with Soul is the Grand Rapids Symphony's 10th annual Celebration of Soul.

The event honors the individual and organizational accompolishments while celebrating the importance of diversity and inclusion in the community.

The 2015 MaLinda P. Sapp Legacy Award honorees are Lockington, who is in his 16th and final season as the Grand Rapids Symphony's music director; the Grand Rapids Urban League, a non-profit which dates to 1942 and is currently led by president and CEO Joseph D. Jones; and the late Catherine Barrow Williams, a classically-trained singer and a social, civic and religious community activist who died in April 2014 at the age of 83 years old.

Held in DeVos Place's Steelcase Ballroom, 303 Monroe Avenue NW in Grand Rapids, Celebration of Soul includes a 5 p.m. social hour, 5:30 p.m. dinner and the 7 p.m. Legacy Awards. Tickets are $150, including dinner and a ticket to the concert, and are still available.

Celebration of Soul attendees get an exclusive post-concert reception with Williams.

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