Advance tickets for a concert by Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon are on sale now. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 2, in F.G. Bulber Auditorium at McNeese State University as part of the McNeese Banners Series.

Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $5 for children and students, and free to McNeese students with ID. They are available online at www.banners.org (click on the event and scroll down) or at the Lake Charles Civic Center Box Office.

Among Freelon's numerous awards are six Grammy nominations, the Billie Holiday Award and the Eubie Blake Award. She has won accolades for her work on behalf of children and education and she is a spokeswoman for the National Association of Partners in Education.

She is a composer, producer and arranger -- but most of all she is a spectacular jazz singer with nine jazz albums and one gospel album on the Columbia and Concord labels.

Freelon will give two special performances April 28 for 30 students at both J.D. Clifton Head Start Program and Combre/Fondel Elementary Schools, funded by Citgo and the American Press. The concert is co-sponsored by the Black Heritage Festival.