By Andrea Uhde
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is expanding its African-American concert series to more communities in hopes of spreading appreciation for African-American composers and cultural diversity.

The CSO announced Wednesday that Zion Baptist Church in Avondale, Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church and Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church in Forest Park will each host a free "Classical Roots: Spiritual Heights" concert. The series, which began in 2001 with concerts at Lincoln Heights Missionary and includes music composed by African-Americans, will run July 22-24.

There will also be a ticketed concert by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra with Victor Trent Cook, Rodrick Dixon and Thomas Young, formerly known as the Three Mo' Tenors, at Riverbend Music Center on July 26.

The concerts may put African-Americans and whites side by side at a time when Cincinnati's racial tensions are still high.

"You don't know who might be on the row with you," said James H. Cantrell, pastor at Zion Baptist, where the series will start. "It's an opportunity to get to know persons that heretofore you might not have known."

In the past, 95 percent of attendees have been African-American, said Rosemary Weathers, director of public relations for the CSO. Organizers want more diversity, she said. "Our goal overall and in everything we do is to attract a diverse audience," she said.

About 3,000 people are expected to attend each of the first three concerts, Weathers said.

The concerts have been well attended in the past, said Jerry Mitchell, administrator at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist.

"Each year it gets bigger and bigger," Mitchell said. "Each year there are people who call and want to know if it's coming back."

John Morris Russell, associate conductor of the CSO, said the classical music transcends racial, economic and religious boundaries and joins communities.

"We're really looking forward to kind of planting more seeds in other neighborhoods in our community to create this wonderful and joyful celebration together," he said.

E-mail auhde@enquirer.com