ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Mount Olivet Baptist Church hosted a concert celebrating the music of Nina Simone.

Simone was known for her civil rights activism and was induced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

Organizers spoke about her impact on music and American culture.

“Her music basically captured a lot of the struggle that African-Americans were feeling. I really feel like she was ahead of her time as far as the motion and the movement, that she wanted the movement to take. She was using her music as a way to push the country along,” Herbert Smith, music director of jazz artists Freedom Trio

As well as Freedom Trio, the Brockport Symphony Orchestra and Bach Children’s Choir performed the music of Simone along with other artists.