Pop superstar Pharrell Williams is to perform with a Gospel choir this weekend at the Charleston church where nine parishioners were shot and killed.

Williams' appearance at the Emanuel AME church – the oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church in the US and known as Mother Emanuel – is part of a programme on race relations. He will speak with community leaders and others affected by the shooting.

Nine people died in the June 17 shooting, for which white supremacist Dylann Roof is to stand trial. The shooting led to a backlash against the use of the Confererate flag, which has been removed from many public buildings.

The singer will reportedly practise with the choir on Saturday and attend the worship service on Sunday.

The two-hour Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America programme is scheduled to air on November 20. It will include conversations with from family members of victims, community leaders, law enforcement officials and clergy from Charleston, Baltimore, Chicago, and Ferguson, all of which have seen gun violence.

It will also feature a concert to be filmed November 18 in Los Angeles. Performers will include Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Zac Brown Band, Jamie Foxx and others.

Its goal is to raise money for the victims of racial violence and for organisations around the country working to promote racial equity.