The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announces that acclaimed hip-hop recording artist, actor, film producer and poet Common will be performing at its annual Classical Roots concert at Music Hall on Friday, April 29. With a slew of awards to his name, including three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and multiple BET Awards, Common’s career has spanned across three decades. He has collaborated musically with such artists as John Legend, Kanye West and Lauryn Hill. In addition to other planned concert highlights, Common will perform “Glory” from the movie Selma, for which he won an Oscar in 2015 and a Grammy in 2016. Capathia Jenkins, who most recently electrified crowds during the Cincinnati Pops “I’m Every Woman” concert in January, also lends her powerhouse vocals to the program, conducted by John Morris Russell.

The Classical Roots Community Mass Choir, which is comprised of over 100 singers representing dozens of area churches and rehearses with several local music ministers, returns as a staple for the annual concert, as will the CSYO Nouveau Chamber Players which features talented African American student musicians who are nurtured through the CSO’s education programs. While exact program details will be announced at a later date, the multi-genre concert will again include elements from the classical tradition as well as gospel, R&B and spirituals, all celebrating the rich African-American musical heritage and bringing together friends and neighbors for a shared concert experience.

Classical Roots started as a program performed by the CSO in churches throughout the region and moved to the Orchestra’s home at Music Hall in 2011 where it has taken place ever since.

Tickets for this concert are $25-55 for adults and $10 for children under 17. Tickets are available now on the CSO’s website or by calling the Box Office at (513) 381-3300.