Join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as we bring you The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 36th annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert, led by guest conductor Thomas Wilkins, on Monday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. The live broadcast on WRTI originates from the Orchestra’s home, Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
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 Thomas Wilkins will lead The Philadelphia Orchestra in works by Carlos Simon, George Gershwin, 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. These young singers are also featured in several selections to conclude the concert: John Rutter’s “The Lord is My Shepherd,” Roderick Giles’s “Love Is What We Need,” and “Total Praise” by the recently deceased gospel icon, Richard Smallwood.
The program includes the first movement from the Piano Concerto in F Major, by George Gershwin, featuring the young pianist Clayton Stephenson, winner of the 2025 Sphinx Competition. 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”
Simon: Four Black American Dances: “Ring Shout” and “Holy Dance”
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F major: I. Allegro
Rutter: “The Lord Is My Shepherd”
Barber: Adagio for Strings (with narration based on the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Giles: “Love Is What We Need”
Smallwood: “Total Praise”
PERFORMERS
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Clayton Stephenson, piano
Charlotte Blake Alston, narrator
Girard College High School Choir (Paul Eaton, director)
Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts Chorus (Lauren Thomas-Moyett, director)
