Arsht Center offers free events for gospel music lovers, families

Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts is announcing two free series for its 10th anniversary season in 2015-16 season.

First, the center will help gospel music lovers get their praise on with four concerts throughout the season. WPLG-ABC10 anchor Calvin Hughes is the special guest host for the series, which kicks off Oct. 18 with award-winning singer and songwriter Marvin Sapp, backed by the Miami Mass Choir.

Also in the series are a concert by the choir Dec. 13, Grammy winner Karen Clark Sheard on Feb. 21 and a performance by Tasha Cobbs on April 10. Sapp’s concert is at 8 p.m., and the others are at 5 p.m. at the Arsht’s Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Tickets are available beginning Sept. 15. Concertgoers can reserve a First-Access Pass to Sapp’s concert in advance by calling the box office at 305-949-6722 or visiting arshtcenter.org. There’s a limit of four per person, with the passes allowing holders first admittance into the theater. Anyone without a pass can join a stand-by line at 7 p.m. and be admitted at 7:45 p.m. if seats remain.

The Arsht Center has also planned a lineup of four free events for families in 2015-16. The Family Fest celebration begins at 4 p.m. Oct. 25, with Spooky Symphony, a Halloween-themed concert featuring music from Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Wicked and more. Story Pirates, a sketch comedy musical made up of original stories by South Florida kids, follows at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 16. Miami City Ballet’s School Ensemble will dance exerpts from Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadére, and George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes and Bourrée Fantastique at 2 p.m. Feb. 13. The Miami Music Project will perform an interactive concert at 1:30 p.m. July 6.

A free First-Access Pass is required for the family series as well, with the one for Spooky Symphony available starting Sept. 16. The four-per-person limit applies, and they’re available by calling 305-949-6722 or visiting arshtcenter.org. Concertgoers are encouraged to dress in costume.

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Arsht Center offers free events for gospel music lovers, families."