Last year when the call went out for proposals to help celebrate Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary, the Rev. Deryck Tines decided it was only appropriate to do something with gospel music.

After all, he'd been involved in Pittsburgh's gospel scene for decades.

"You can't celebrate Pittsburgh without celebrating its spirit and soul, and for me that means African-American gospel music," Tines said.

Toward that end, gospel singers from the Pittsburgh region will come together for "Pittsburgh Spirit & Soul," an all-city choir concert to celebrate Pittsburgh 250!

The concert, which includes music and dance, takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Heinz Hall. It's being presented by The Deryck Tines Ministry Group and the Afro-American Music Institute.

"We have about 100 singers from various churches, various faiths, various races that have come together to sing the gospel," Tines said. There are also 11 directors representing a number of churches.

All of the music will be original and reflective of the four genres, including hymns, spirituals, traditional gospel and contemporary gospel also called praise and worship.

The lone exception to the original music is a rendition of the civil rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome" arranged by Tines. This version was included in the soundtrack for "Democracy: A Steady Loving Confrontation," a short film about the civil rights struggle, which will be shown tonight at a film festival that's part of the Democratic National Convention events.

It was produced and directed by Jen Saffron, an instructor in the Film Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh and seven of her students.

Saffron is also a member of the all-city choir, which began rehearsals in February at Trinity Cathedral Church, Downtown.

"We're preparing to put on an awesome celebration," Tines said.

Friday's concert, which failed to make the final cut for Pittsburgh 250! money, is being funded by the Heinz Endowments.

Local music icon O'Labrice Casson Beckom will perform "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," also known as the Negro National Anthem.

Beckom, who retired last month as director of the Hill House arts program, said she agreed to do it at the request of Tines, one of her former students.

Although she has performed throughout the region and was chairwoman of the Negro National Opera Company Performing Guild, Pittsburgh Chapter, Beckom, 80, will be making her debut on the Heinz Hall stage.

Tines said Beckom's performance and the event itself being held in Heinz Hall is a large step toward giving gospel its rightful due as an art form.

He explained that there was a time "when you brought in a national gospel artist, they stayed at your house and you brought them to your church."

Gospel, said Tines, deserves the same kind of support and grant money to bring it beyond the church. "It's just as substantial as jazz and ballet and the symphony," he said. "For me this is really substantial that we're doing it on this level at this time."

Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m., there will be a free event in Mellon Park with young people performing dance, mime, music and other activities.

"Young people get a bum rap," Tines said, "so we are trying to celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of young people."