Join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as we bring you The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 35th annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert, led by guest conductor Damon Gupton, on Monday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. The live broadcast on WRTI originates from the historic chapel of Girard College in Philadelphia.
This annual concert, first presented by The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1991, honors the achievements of the famed civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and reflects his beliefs and convictions. Combining the traditions of Black culture and Western classical music, the event pays tribute to Dr. King’s vision of a society free of prejudice and racial divisions, and his belief in the power of music to effect change.
Guest conductor Damon Gupton will lead the Philadelphia Orchestra in works by William Grant Still, Joseph Bologne (also known as Sieur de Saint-Georges), 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 high school choruses of Girard College and the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. They’re also featured in a pair of selections to conclude the concert: Charles Tindley’s “The Storm is Passing Over” and Richard Smallwood’s “Anthem of Praise.”
In between, the program includes selections from Wood Notes, an orchestral suite by William Grant Still, and a movement from the Violin Concerto No. 2 in A Major, Op. 5 No. 2 by 18th-century Afro-French composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The young Brazilian violinist Nathan Amaral, winner of the 2024 Sphinx Competition, is featured in the Bologne work.
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.
PROGRAM
Johnson: “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Still: Selections from Wood Notes
Bologne: Violin Concerto in 2 in A Major, Op. 5 No. 2: I. Allegro moderato
Barber: Adagio for Strings (with narration based on the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Tindley: “The Storm is Passing Over”
Smallwood: “Anthem of Praise”
PERFORMERS
Damon Gupton, conductor
Nathan Amaral, 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