Boston Pops Celebrate the 25th Annual Gospel Night

Photo of Charles Floyd by Stu Rosner

Ten-time Grammy-winning artist, Cece Winans, will join the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Gospel Choir for the 25th annual Boston Pop’s Gospel Night.

Winans says she’s excited to return to Boston and that this tour is all about bringing people together.

“It’s going to be a night of great music,” says Winans. “Music that will not just entertain, but music that will uplift your spirit and your heart. I think [the audience] is going to experience love through music.”

Photo provided

The audience can expect a night of soulful blues led by Chicago native, conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd. Floyd has been leading the Gospel Night since 1995 and says the night’s atmosphere is always filled with enthusiasm. He says orchestras and gospel choirs do not typically interact, so he enjoys the unusual nature of the ensemble and performance of Gospel Night.

In her storied career, Winans has performed alongside Whitney Houston as well as at the Kennedy Center Honors for a tribute to Cicely Tyson, and appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. She says gospel music is essential to society, especially in times of political struggles and social injustices.

“I don’t think there are words to express how important gospel music is in the times we’re in. Times where we need peace, gospel music brings peace. Times when we’re dealing with a lot of sadness, gospel music brings joy, it brings people together,” says Winans. “It focuses on the good, it reminds us of the creators, and lets us know that there is something greater than the circumstances we are going through. It gives us hope. Gospel music is something we need to hear more and more of.”

Floyd is expecting Winans will bring something special to the Pop’s 25th Gospel Night Anniversary.

“If working with an orchestra is a rare experience for a gospel choir, then working with a well-known established leader in the world of gospel music is an enormous treat for the choir that ought not be overlooked,” Floyd says.

$32+, Saturday, June 17, Symphony Hall, 301 Mass. Ave., bso.org.