Press Release Free Gospel Sundays returns! For the first time, take the Gospel Train to the Arsht Center in partnership with Miami-Dade County - February 26

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
presents

FREE GOSPEL SUNDAYS
CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Featuring the first-ever Gospel Train to the Arsht Center in
partnership with Miami-Dade County

Concert stars Pastor Marc Cooper and Miami Mass Choir
WPLG Local 10 Anchor Calvin Hughes to host

February 26, 2023 at 5 p.m.
FREE
John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall

Miami, FL – January 17, 2023 – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@arshtcenter) is proud to celebrate Black History Month with a very special
edition of the beloved signature series FREE GOSPEL SUNDAYS starring Grammy Award
nominees and Stellar Award winners Pastor Marc Cooper & Miami Mass Choir
(@miamimasschoir). The Grammy nominated and Stellar Award-winning choir returns to
the Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall on February 26 at 5 p.m. For this performance, all
of Miami is invited to take the GOSPEL TRAIN to the Arsht Center as part of a partnership
with Miami-Dade County (@miamidadecounty) to make the Center’s free programming
more accessible to the community. WPLG Local 10 Anchor CALVIN HUGHES
(@calvinwplg) returns as host.

Admission to FREE GOSPEL SUNDAYS: PASTOR MARC COOPER & MIAMI MASS CHOIR is free,
however, first-access passes* will be available starting January 27. Details here. Sign up
for Arsht Center emails here and be sure to select “Community & Free Events” to be the
first to know when passes for remaining performances become available.

Riders who wish to ride GOSPEL TRAIN can take Metrorail and Metromover to the Arsht
Center by signing up for a free1-Day mobile pass while supplies last. A promo code to
redeem the pass on the GO Miami-Dade Transit mobile app will be included with a FREE
GOSPEL SUNDAYS first-access pass confirmation. A special pop-up gospel performance
will guide riders to the Metromover platform at Government Center station, where riders
can take the Omni Loop to the Adrienne Arsht Center station.

“The Arsht Center is committed to providing world-class arts experiences to our
community through free programming like Free Gospel Sundays,” said Jairo Ontiveros,
vice president of arts education and community engagement at the Arsht Center. “We
are thrilled to be partnering with Miami-Dade County to welcome even more of South
Florida’s biggest gospel music fans.”

“We are pleased to partner with the Arsht Center on this high-quality program that builds
community by exposing residents to the arts and to our transit services. It’s a win-win and
we look forward to collaborating on other projects,” added Eulois Cleckley, the director
and CEO of the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works.

Founded in 1995 in the Florida Memorial College Chapel, Miami Mass Choir is made up
of more than 100 of South Florida’s top gospel singers and songwriters. The choir’s debut
album, 1997’s It’s Praying Time, reached No. 25 on Billboard's gospel albums chart and
earned Miami Mass Choir the Stellar Award for Choir of the Year. Since then, the group
has recorded several more albums, including Miami Mass Choir LIVE at the Adrienne Arsht
Center; been nominated for a Grammy Award; and served as resident choir of the Arsht
Center’s Free Gospel Sundays series.

FREE GOSPEL SUNDAYS is made possible with the leadership support of Rodney and
Michelle Adkins, as well as the generous support of the Green Family Foundation Trust,
Baptist Health South Florida, The Israel, Rose, Henry and Robert Wiener Charitable
Foundation, the Friends of Free Gospel Sundays, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the
Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs
and the Cultural Affairs Council, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts
and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

ABOUT THE ARSHT CENTER’S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS

FREE GOSPEL SUNDAYS is one of the 10 ongoing Arsht Center programs committed to
community engagement and deepening the experience of the performing arts for all
Miami-Dade County residents. Having served more than 105,000 people throughout its
16-year history, the programs broaden community participation and open the sights,
sounds and possibilities of the world through the performing arts. New programs
include: Broadway on Biscayne, a series of pre-and post- performance experiences
giving audiences a closer look at the shows; and Club Broadway which brings together
a cohort of teen Broadway enthusiasts for shows and workshops. Existing programs
include: Family Fest (Presenting Sponsor: Baptist Health), a season of free performances
featuring the world's leading family-friendly artists; The Heritage Project (Presenting
Sponsor: Bank of America), a free salon series and annual festival featuring panel
discussions surrounding performing arts and social justice in the Black
community; AileyCamp Miami, a full-scholarship, six-week summer dance camp which
uses dance as a vehicle for the personal development of young people; CommuniTea
Dance, an annual celebration honoring Miami's LGBTQ+ community; Knight Masterworks
Classical Conversations, a series of free lectures which give the audience insight into the
musicians, composers and history of music presented in our Knight Masterworks Classical
Music series; Accessing the Arts Residencies, art workshops for children and adults with
disabilities; and Arsht on the Road (Presenting Sponsor: TD Bank), a series of free pop-up
performances that bring the arts into Miami-Dade County's diverse neighborhoods.

@ArshtCenter                         #ArshtCenter

*All programs, artists, ticket prices, availability, dates and times are subject to change without
notice. Visit arshtcenter.org for up-to-date information.

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the
public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the
Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council and the City of Miami Omni Community
Redevelopment Agency, as well as the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and
Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives
generous support from individuals, corporations and local, state and national foundations.

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AboutUs

Set in the heart of downtown Miami, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is committed to welcoming and connecting ALL people to the arts, to the Arsht
Center and to each other. Our stages are alive year-round with artists from around the world,
innovative programming from our resident companies and local arts partners, free community
events that reflect Miami’s unique identity and arts education experiences for thousands of Miami
children each year.

Since opening in 2006, the Arsht Center, a 501C3 non-profit organization, has been recognized
as a catalyst for billions of dollars in new development in the downtown area, a leader in
programming that mirrors South Florida’s diversity, a host venue for historic events and Miami’s hub
for arts education.

Each year, we serve more than 60,000 young learners and offer more than 100 culturally diverse
and inclusive education programs — many enhanced by the Arsht Center’s relationship with
Miami-Dade County Public Schools, local teaching artists and Miami-based arts organizations.

The Arsht Center is also a home stage for three resident companies — Florida Grand Opera, Miami
City Ballet and New World Symphony — and a launch pad for local artists to make their mark on
the international stage. Our 300+ events each year include the Center’s Signature Series of
classical, jazz, Broadway, local theater and much more. We present a robust series of touring
Broadway musicals direct from New York, the largest jazz series in South Florida, a major annual
Flamenco Festival and an award-winning Miami-based theater program. In addition, our Family
Fest, Free Gospel Sundays, CommuniTEA LGBTQ+ celebration and Heritage Fest are among
dozens of free events that bring together people from all corners of our community. For more information, visit arshtcenter.org.