Music And Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin And The Philadelphia Orchestra Present 34th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert

In partnership with Girard College and Global Citizen's Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, The Philadelphia Orchestra will present its 34th annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert, led by Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, on Monday, January 15, at 3:00 PM at the Girard College Chapel. Tickets are free and available at  www.philorch.org/mlk2024. 

 

 “Global Citizen is excited to partner for the 10th consecutive year with the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra for the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service,” said Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen and founder and director of the Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service. “As we mark the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, it reminds us of both the gains and sacrifices made over 60 years, but also current attempts to undermine these fundamental rights. This magnificent concert reminds us of the importance of the rich diversity of people joining together in celebration of Dr. King's legacy of social justice.”   

 

The concert will honor the life and legacy of Dr. King through the power of music and will reflect the Orchestra's commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies (IDEAS). The performance will include works by Black composers, including John Rosamond Johnson's and James Weldon Johnson's anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Richard Smallwood's “Total Praise,” both featuring the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts Chorus and the Girard College High School Choir; Adolphus Hailstork's Fanfare on “Amazing Grace”; William Grant Still's Patterns; and the first movement from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's  Violin Concerto, featuring Annelle Gregory, a winner of the Sphinx Competition, which recognizes and develops classical music talent in the Black and Latinx communities. Continuing a cherished tradition, Imasogie Storyteller, Narrator, and Host Charlotte Blake Alston will deliver a moving recitation of excerpts from Dr. King's historic “I Have a Dream” speech, accompanied by Barber's Adagio for Strings.  

 

The Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert is generously supported by our Performance Sponsor, PECO. Lead Community Engagement sponsorship comes from Independence Blue Cross. Additional sponsorship comes from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Annenberg Foundation. The concert will be broadcast live on WRTI 90.1 FM. 

 

PECO has continuously supported enriching the arts with the Orchestra for more than 20 years. This year's concert sponsorship expands PECO's support of the Orchestra's innovative programming and the many King Day of Service activities throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. 

 

The Philadelphia Orchestra's Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert, first presented in 1991, reflects the beliefs and convictions of the famed civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and combines the traditions of Black culture and Western classical music. The concert 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. 

 

PECO, founded in 1881, is Pennsylvania's largest electric and natural gas utility. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PECO delivers energy to nearly 1.7 million electric customers and more than 545,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. The company's 2,800 employees are dedicated to the safe and reliable delivery of electricity and natural gas as well as enhanced energy management conservation, environmental stewardship, and community assistance. PECO is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the largest fully-regulated utility company in the nation with more than 10 million customers. For more information visit PECO.com, and connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter. 

 

Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert 

January 15 at 3:00 PM—Monday afternoon—Girard College Chapel, Philadelphia 

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor 

Annelle Gregory Violin—Philadelphia Orchestra Debut 

Charlotte Blake Alston Speaker 

Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts Chorus 

Lauren Thomas-Moyett Director 

Girard College High School Choir 

Paul M. Eaton Director 

 

  

Johnson “Lift Every Voice and Sing” 

Hailstork Fanfare on “Amazing Grace”—First Philadelphia Orchestra performance  

Coleridge-Taylor First movement from Violin Concerto—First Philadelphia Orchestra performance 

Still Patterns—First Philadelphia Orchestra performance  

Barber Adagio for Strings (with narration based on the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.) 

Handel “Hallelujah!”, from Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration 

Smallwood “Total Praise” 

  

The concert is free, but tickets are required and available at www.philorch.org/mlk2024. Seating is general admission and on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors will open at 2:30 PM. 

 

The concert will be broadcast live on WRTI 90.1 FM and available online at www.wrti.org. 

 

The Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert is presented by PECO. Additional funding for this concert is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Annenberg Foundation. 

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