Sandi Patty to perform Saturday with symphony

Sandi Patty may not be a household name like Dolly or Barbra.

Yet she is without a doubt the reigning queen of contemporary Christian music, and she has a voice in the same league.

No other female vocalist in this genre has won more awards, including five Grammys and 39 Doves (the Christian music industry’s version of the Grammys). She has three platinum and five gold albums in her 25-year career.

Patty received her share of crossover recognition after she sang “The Star Spangled Banner” on the ABC broadcast of the Statue of Liberty rededication in 1986.

Her appearance with the Spokane Symphony on Saturday in the season’s first SuperPops concert will cover both aspects of her range, from the devotional to the popular.

Fans will hear some of her traditional inspirational songs, such as “How Great Thou Art” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

She will also do some movie songs, such as “Over the Rainbow,” “That’s Entertainment” and a medley from “The Sound of Music.”

And she will sing some well-loved patriotic songs, including “God Bless America” and “The Star Spangled Banner.”

The first half of the concert will feature the symphony on its own, conducted by associate conductor Morihiko Nakahara. The orchestra will play selections from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” Bernstein’s “On the Town” and “That’s Entertainment,” as well as an arrangement of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust.”