2011 GMA Dove Awards 'Artist Of The Year', Francesca Battistelli To Perform On October 22, 2011 At Zanesville's Secrest Auditorium

Zanesville, OH (Top40 Charts/ Ticketcrush Concerts) Fervent Records' Francesca Battistelli is the 2011 Dove Award reigning "Artist Of The Year" and "Female Vocalist Of The Year." These accolades come on the heels of the successful release of Battistelli's sophomore album Hundred More Years, which debuted at No. 1 on the Christian Album Chart and No. 16 on Billboard's Top 200 Chart. Hundred More Years released to rave reviews and is the follow-up to her debut My Paper Heart, which delivered the smash No. 1 single "Free To Be Me" and hit singles "It's Your Life," "I'm Letting Go" and "Beautiful, Beautiful." With over 430,000 albums sold to date, Battistelli has become the best-selling new artist in the genre in the past eight years. To date Battistelli has earned a GRAMMY® nomination ("Best Gospel Song Performance"), five Dove Awards and 15 Dove Award nominations.

Inspired by legendary jazz greats and current contemporaries like John Mayer and Sara Bareilles, singer/songwriter Battistelli set out to write pop, soul-infused music that would motivate and encourage listeners of any age. Her exposure to the arts began at a young age with her interest and involvement in theatre, music and dance, and at 15, Francesca began writing and performing her own songs. Her music has been featured on NBC's The Biggest Loser, TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8, ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, and several other television and movie outlets. Francesca released Hundred More Years March 1, 2011 which debuted No 1 on the charts and features the No 1 single "This Is The Stuff".

Francesca Battistelli will be performing Saturday, October 22 at Secrest Auditorium, 334 Shinnick Street, Zanesville, Ohio. Opening for Battistelli is Central Ohio Christian Rock band ,The Great Transparency. The show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at https://ticketcrushconcerts.com or by calling (740) 453-8419.