Join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as we bring you The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 33rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert, led by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, on Monday, Jan. 15 at 3 p.m. WRTI will broadcast the concert live from the historic chapel of Girard College.
This annual concert, first presented by The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1991, honors the achievements of Dr. King, the famed civil rights leader, and reflects his beliefs and convictions. Combining the traditions of Black culture and Western classical music, the event pays tribute to his vision of a society free of prejudice and racial divisions, and his belief in the power of music to effect change.
Nézet-Séguin will lead The Philadelphia Orchestra in works by Adolphus Hailstork, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Grant Still, and Samuel Barber. The concert opens with “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamund Johnson — long acknowledged as the “Black National Anthem,” and sung here by the combined choruses of Girard College and the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. They’re also featured in the concert’s concluding works: “Hallelujah!” from Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration and Richard Smallwood’s “Total Praise.”
In between, the program includes the Philadelphia Orchestra’s first-ever performances of Fanfare on “Amazing Grace” by Adolphus Hailstork and Patterns by William Grant Still. Violin soloist Annelle Gregory is featured in a movement from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 80, also a Philadelphia Orchestra first performance.
In addition, Charlotte Blake Alston — The Philadelphia Orchestra’s resident storyteller, narrator, and host — offers a staple of this annual concert: the inspiring words of Martin Luther King, Jr., heard as the Orchestra performs Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings.
The concert has a special connection to Girard College, which has played an important role in African American history. In 2021, the pandemic forced the cancellation of this annual event — and when it resumed in 2022, it was held in Verizon Hall so that the audience could be socially distanced. Last year the concert made its welcome return to Girard College, which, along with Global Citizen, is The Philadelphia Orchestra’s partner in presenting this highlight of its season.
PROGRAM
Johnson: “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Hailstork: Fanfare on “Amazing Grace”
Still: Patterns
Coleridge-Taylor: Violin Concerto in g minor, Op. 80: I. Allegro maestoso
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Handel: “Hallelujah!” from Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration
Smallwood: “Total Praise”
PERFORMERS
WRTI concert broadcast hosted by Melinda Whiting
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Annelle Gregory, violin
Charlotte Blake Alston, narrator
Girard College High School Choir (Paul Eaton, director)
Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts Chorus (Lauren Thomas-Moyer, director)
The Philadelphia Orchestra
