First Lady Michelle Obama attended a CD release concert on Thursday, March 7, by the internationally acclaimed and Grammy-winning female a cappella quintet Sweet Honey In The Rock at the Howard Theatre in Washington, DC,according to The Washingtonian newspaper. Mrs. Obama has previously called Sweet Honey one of her “favorite groups in the whole wide world.”

At the Howard Theatre show, Sweet Honey performed the material from its newly released 2-CD set on Appleseed Recordings, “A Tribute -Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center,” which honors the songs of an earlier generation of female African American singers and songwriters including Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Odetta and Miriam Makeba, among others. The group, which usually performs its unique, uplifting mixture of blues, jazz, gospel, Afrocentric material and even children’s songs unaccompanied, added a contemporary jazz trio for their new CD and a series of special concerts, including the Washington date. In several weeks, Sweet Honey will leave the country to perform in Belgium, Oman, England and Australia.

Sweet Honey In The Rock, nearing its fortieth year of performing and recording, gave a concert at the White House in 2009 at the First Lady’s request.