THE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CELEBRATION CONCERT WITH THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA to Air Nationally on Public Television

American Public Television (APT), a leading syndicator of top-rated programming to the country's public television stations, selected ideastream's production, "The Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert with The Cleveland Orchestra," for national distribution. Stations across the United States have the opportunity to select the program for broadcast beginning in January 2020. In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Northeast Ohio audiences can watch the local broadcast of the program Sunday, January 19 at 6 p.m. and Monday, January 20 at 10 p.m. on WVIZ/PBS ideastream.

The program follows The Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by music director Franz Welser-Möst, through a moving and inspiring community celebration that honors the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "The Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert with The Cleveland Orchestra" is a tribute to the slain civil rights leader as told through music and Dr. King's own words. The inspiring production features music specially selected to relate to the themes of Dr. King's speeches, which are shown throughout the hour-long program.

For more than 35 years, The Cleveland Orchestra has celebrated Dr. King's legacy by opening the doors to its beautiful Severance Hall home for a free, annual concert. In this hour-long televised production, the Orchestra is joined by host James Pickens, Jr., a Cleveland native best known for his portrayal of Dr. Richard Webber on "Grey's Anatomy" and guest soloist Ryan Speedo Green. Green has been called "a show stopper" by The New York Times and has been featured on "60 Minutes." An all-Cleveland community volunteer chorus, the Martin Luther King Celebration Chorus directed by Dr. William Henry Caldwell, adds to the program offering sounds that are at times joyful and exuberant, and at times soulful and heartfelt.

"The Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert with The Cleveland Orchestra" includes music from the classical repertoire along with hymns, spirituals and anthems from the civil rights era. Two arrangements commissioned especially for the concert are featured: "Down by the Riverside" and "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." The rousing conclusion of the concert features The Cleveland Orchestra along with the Martin Luther King Celebration Chorus and the entire audience joining together for one of the most cherished songs of the civil rights movement, "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

The program includes:

· Traditional/arr. Caldwell - "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn me 'Round"

· Beethoven - Overture to "Egmont"

· Mendelssohn - "Lord God of Abraham" from "Elijah"

· Walker - "Lyric for Strings"

· Traditional/arr. Floyd - "Down by the Riverside"; arrangement commissioned for "The Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert with The Cleveland Orchestra"

· Verdi - "Va pensiero" ("Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves") from "Nabucco"

· Respighi - "Pines of the Appian Way" from "Pines of Rome"

· Steffe/arr. Wilhousky - "Battle Hymn of the Republic"

· Dorsey/arr. Floyd - "Precious Lord, Take My Hand"; arrangement commissioned for "The Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert with The Cleveland Orchestra"

· Mendelssohn - "Movement No. 4" from "Symphony No. 5" ("Reformation")

· Johnson/arr. Smith - "Lift Every Voice and Sing"

Recorded in 2018, "The Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert with The Cleveland Orchestra" is a production of WVIZ/PBS ideastream in partnership with The Cleveland Orchestra. Funding is provided by KeyBank.

ideastream serves the people of Northeast Ohio as a trusted and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us. Publicly supported and locally owned, ideastream is indispensable and highly valued for its unique ability to strengthen our community. ideastream is the consolidation of WVIZ/PBS, with five channels of public television service (WVIZ/PBS-HD, WVIZ/PBS Ohio, WVIZ/PBS World, WVIZ/PBS Create, and WVIZ/PBS Kids); 90.3 WCPN, Northeast Ohio's NPR news and public affairs radio station; WCLV 104.9, Northeast Ohio's classical music radio station; ideastream Education, with educational resources, services and the award-winning children's series NewsDepth; and management of The Ohio Channel and the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau on behalf of all Ohio's public broadcasting stations.

Under the leadership of Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, The Cleveland Orchestra has become one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world, setting standards of extraordinary artistic excellence, creative music-making, and community programming. The New York Times has called the ensemble "America's most brilliant orchestra," "virtually flawless," and "one of the finest ensembles in the country (if not the world)," and The Wall Street Journal has referred to the Orchestra as "magnificent." Having celebrated its 100th birthday year in 2018, The Cleveland Orchestra is making its mark as a decidedly 21st-century ensemble, dedicated to serving its hometown and the art of music with focused traditions and innovative initiatives.

Strong community support from across the ensemble's home region is driving the Orchestra forward with renewed energy, increasing the number of young people attending concerts, and bringing fresh attention to the Orchestra's legendary sound and committed programming - including performances that regularly juxtapose older and newer musical works in standard concerts, festivals, and annual opera presentations.

The Cleveland Orchestra's partnership with Franz Welser-Möst, begun in 2002 and entering its 18th year with the 2019-20 season, has earned the ensemble unprecedented residencies in the U.S. and around the world, including one at the Musikverein in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra and regular performances at the Salzburg Festival. The Orchestra and Mr. Welser-Möst traveled to Asia in spring 2019 and return to Europe with performances in Vienna, Linz, and Paris in spring 2020, and for the first time in the United Arab Emirates at the Abu Dhabi Festival.

American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation's public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and one-fourth of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT's diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, news and current affairs programs, dramas, how-to programs, children's series and classic movies. America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, AfroPoP, Rick Steves' Europe, Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television, Front and Center, Doc Martin, Nightly Business Report, Midsomer Murders, Lidia's Kitchen, Kevin Belton's New Orleans Kitchen, Simply Ming, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, and P. Allen Smith's Garden Home are a sampling of APT's programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV - featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming - and WORLD™, public television's premier news, science and documentary channel.

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