Cross and Light, Musical Depicting the Early Church, to be Produced as a Film

Multiple Grammy Award Winner, Michael Omartian, to Produce Motion Picture Soundtrack for Cross and Light: The Movie.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN, FEBRUARY 19, 2019 – Michael Omartian, the first record producer to chart #1 hits in three consecutive decades, is attached to produce the motion picture soundtrack for Cross and Light, an international critically acclaimed musical that started in Detroit, now being produced as a film. Omartian has contributed his talents to over 350,000,000 albums and CD’s sold worldwide as a producer, composer, arranger, artist or musician. With seventeen Grammy nominations including Producer of the Year, Album of the Year and Gospel Album of the Year, Omartian’s attachment to the Cross and Light Film Project is garnering international recognition and excitement in both secular and Christian circles.

As an arranger and musician, Omartian has worked with artists that include Steely Dan, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Boz Skaggs, Jerry Garcia, Loggins & Messina, Rikki Lee Jones, Alison Krauss, Al Jarreau, Faith Hill, Dolly Parton, Manhattan Transfer, Tim McGraw, Diana Ross, Michael McDonald, Shania Twain, Julio Iglesias, LeAnn Rimes, Quincy Jones, Keith Urban, George Strait, Lonestar, Lee AnnWomack, Johnny Cash, and many more.

As a producer, some of Omartian's credits include: Rod Stewart, Christopher Cross, Roberta Flack, Peter Cetera, Reba McEntire, Michael Bolton, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Whitney Houston, Amy Grant, Donna Summer, The Imperials, Jermaine Jackson, Janis Ian, Bela Fleck, Stephen Bishop, The Jacksons, Waylon Jennings, Trish Yearwood, Michael Crawford, The Dirt Band, Patty Loveless, Cher, and Cliff Richard.

“Hearing Michael Omartian say,’I love your music’ is a dream come true and an amazing confirmation of the quality of our production. I’m ecstatic!” Kelly Nieto explained. Nieto had a life-changing vision in 2000, the night before entering the Catholic Church, and was inspired to create and produce Cross and Light -- one of the most effective and talked-about evangelization tools for the Twenty-first Century. As a convert to Christianity, and co-songwriter and lyricist of the show, Nieto added “Michael is a devout Christian and involved for all the right reasons, to bring Jesus’ love and mercy to a world in desperate need of the truth. He’s an answer to my prayers.”

With over 140,000 in attendance in the United States and Australia, this powerful Broadway-quality production depicting the most defining moments in the Early Church -- from Christ’s Passion to Pentecost -- is awakening audiences across the country to the love of Christ, igniting conversions, sparking re-versions, and opening hearts of all ages to Christ in a more profound way. Created and produced to engage and evangelize to our modern world,this powerful musical and video-surround experience uniquely uses environmental projection technology to project incredible video imagery onto the walls of the church, 150 foot-wide by 30 foot-tall, bringing the most pivotal parts of the Gospel to life in unexpected and engaging ways.

Now in its seventh season, Cross and Light opened at Detroit’s famed Music Hall in 2013, where it was met with unexpected praise from secular reviewers and eventually nominated for a coveted Wilde award. David Kiley, Theatrical Reviewer for Encore Michigan, said, “Cross and Light feels very rooted in evangelizing the Good News of the Gospels in a big, theatrical way ... (the production is) powerful evangelism and theater combined into a unique faith experience.” Remaining tickets are now on sale for three weekends of this one-of-a-kind experience. Tickets range in price from $10-$50 and can be purchased online at CrossandLight.com/tickets. The show is open to the public and is suitable for children 8and over. Seats are limited and remaining tickets are still available.