PHILADELPHIA — Aretha Franklin will take the stage next month with an accomplished accompanist more famous for diplomacy: Condoleezza Rice.

The pair will play at Philadelphia's Mann Center for the Performing Arts July 27 in a show that will feature Franklin's music and classical composers.

Rice, a former U.S. Secretary of State, will accompany Franklin on piano for "Say A Little Prayer" and "Natural Woman," and "selections from Mozart and more," according to the Mann Center's website.

The venue says the performance is a benefit for programs that support inner city children and its own education initiatives.