TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tickets go on sale today, Thursday, August 28, 2008, for Florida A&M University (FAMU) President James H. Ammons’ inaugural events, including the gospel concert, featuring Evangelist Shirley Caesar, gospel phenomenon and 11-time Grammy Award winning artist.
In addition to the concert tickets, which are $40 per person, tickets for the Homecoming Gala, $125; Presidential Inaugural Barbeque, $10; and Champagne Jazz Brunch, $25, will be on sale at Lee Hall, Room 103, and at the FAMU Alumni House, 1810 South Adams Street, Tallahassee, Fla. 32307, and online at
https://secure.qgiv.com/cps_donors/index.php?key=famu.
The gospel concert featuring Evangelist Shirley Caesar is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Lee Hall Auditorium, Monday, October 27. The theme for the inaugural week is “Preserving a Legacy of Excellence in a New Era.” The seven-day celebration will highlight some of the major thrusts that are part of the Ammons 10-point plan: education, community service, health and the arts.
For more information about the FAMU Presidential Inauguration and for regular updates, visit the official website at
www.famu.edu/inauguration2008.
About Shirley Caesar
Shirley Caesar, raised in Durham, NC, began singing as a young girl in church and since then her musical career has flourished. She graduated magna cum laude from Shaw University and has been granted several honorary degrees from other educational institutions. Caesar began her professional singing career as a member of the Caravans, the leading female Gospel group in the 1960s. In 1966, her solo career began to take flight as audiences learned of and yearned for her soul-stirring voice.
Caesar has recorded more than 40 albums since the 1960s, exploring her gift and spreading messages of faith. She has participated in 13 compilations and three gospel musicals. She has been awarded 11 Grammy Awards, 13 Stellar Awards, 18 Dove Awards, three RIAA Gold Certifications, an Essence Award, McDonald’s Golden Circle Lifetime Achievement Award, and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Caesar has made several notable appearances including the televised Live from Disney World Night of Joy, the Gospel According to VH-1 and White House performances for President Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and George Bush. She also spoke before the U.S. Treasury Department in the Evolution of Gospel Music.
While Caesar has enjoyed a fulfilling career, her community outreach is just as commendable. She is the pastor of a growing congregation, The Mount Calvary Word of Faith Church in Raleigh, NC. She is president of the Shirley Caesar Outreach Ministry, a 501 © (3) organization devised to provide assistance to those in the community who find themselves in emergency situations. She has committed a sizable portion of all her concert proceeds to this endeavor. She notes, “I cannot sweeten the Atlantic Ocean, but I can take a pitcher out of the ocean and sweeten that.”
- 30 -
