The Philadelphia Orchestra announces the 22nd annual FREE Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert presented by Cigna

Martin Luther King High School hosts the Tribute Concert on January 16, 2012.

Thomas Wilkins returns for the seventh year to lead the Orchestra and the School District of Philadelphia’s All City Choir; Charlotte Blake Alston narrates readings from Dr. King; and specially selected high school students reflect on Dr. King’s legacy and their communities.

(Philadelphia, December 19, 2011)—Cigna presents The Philadelphia Orchestra’s free Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert on Monday, January 16, 2012, at 3:00 PM. The concert will be held at Philadelphia’s Martin Luther King High School, which is hosting the concert for the seventh consecutive year.

This 22-year-old partnership between The Philadelphia Orchestra and Cigna embodies their dedication to present a special concert for the people of the greater Philadelphia region that honors the life and work of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Guest conductor Thomas Wilkins once again leads this program, joined by narrator Charlotte Blake Alston and the School District of Philadelphia’s All City Choir, directed by Dorina Morrow. Combining the traditions of African-American culture and Western classical music, the concert commemorates Dr. King and the inspiration he has brought to succeeding generations. In addition to the musical portion of the program, students will be recognized from local Philadelphia high schools in honor of their achievements that epitomize Dr. King’s vision. Two of these specially-selected students will share their personal reflections on the life and teachings of Dr. King throughout the event.

“The Philadelphia Orchestra’s annual tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his inspiring vision gives us all an opportunity to pause in our busy lives and reflect on the possibility of a society free of prejudice and racial division,” said Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore. “We believe the Orchestra can play a compelling role in connecting people of diverse backgrounds throughout the City of Philadelphia and we strive to honor Dr. King by sharing the joy of music and its great power to effect positive change. This free community concert would not be possible without our longtime partner Cigna, which believes deeply in building strong communities throughout the Philadelphia region. We are grateful to Representative Dwight Evans and his staff and extend our heartfelt appreciation to our very gracious hosts, the School District of Philadelphia and Martin Luther King High School.”

This is the seventh year throughout the 22-year history of the Tribute Concert that Cigna’s funding has made this event completely free of charge. Maggie FitzPatrick, chief communications officer from Cigna said, “last October, I was privileged to attend the dedication ceremonies for the new Dr. King Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Cigna’s significant support of that historic endeavor, coupled with our annual sponsorship of these MLK Tribute concerts, helps underscore the depth of our commitment to the principles for which Martin Luther King Jr. lived and died. We’re proud to be able to share the results of that commitment with our Philadelphia neighbors attending the concert and all the global visitors to the King Memorial.”

Martin Luther King High School is dedicated to continuing to mold students into high-performing and competitive students. Principal William Wade spoke to this aspiration: “I imagine a school system that recognizes learning is natural, that the desire for learning is normal, and that real learning is done at a passionate level. We believe in a school core curriculum that values questions above answers, fosters creativity above all, and individuality above conformity, and excellence above standard performance. We must serve our students more of the same, more testing, more standards, more uniformity. Everything that we do, at the Promise Academy at Martin Luther King High School, is directly aligned with every student’s success!”

The 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert opens with Fireworks by Jerry Goldsmith. Charlotte Blake Alston returns with a monologue entitled “Trilogy of Loss, Struggle, and Hope.” The program continues with excerpts from Adolphus Hailstork’s Symphony No. 1. Nkeiru Okoye’s Voices Shouting Out will captivate audiences with its motivating message of freedom through music, written shortly after the tragedy of 9/11. The first half of the program concludes with what has now become a tradition of the Tribute Concert—a reading from the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. by Charlotte Blake Alston over a performance of Barber’s elegiac Adagio for Strings.

After intermission, the School District of Philadelphia’s All City Choir, directed by Dorina Morrow, joins the Orchestra to perform the first movement from Francis Poulenc’s Gloria, and John Rutter’s “The Lord Is My Shepherd.” The Choir performs an unaccompanied spiritual, “Walk Together Children,” before the concert concludes with John Rosamond Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

The Orchestra continues to honor outstanding high school seniors who, through their superior academic and personal achievements, exemplify the ideals of Dr. King. Teachers and administrators from selected schools in the Philadelphia region nominate students who not only exhibit superior academic achievement but also demonstrate a caring involvement of service to others.

Finalists are invited to interview with a panel assembled by The Philadelphia Orchestra Association and made up of Orchestra musicians, staff members, and members of the Orchestra’s community partners. Two of the finalists have been invited to participate in the Orchestra’s Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert, while the remaining finalists will be recognized during the concert.

Guest conductor Thomas Wilkins is resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony, music director of the Omaha Symphony, and principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. He made his Philadelphia Orchestra debut conducting the Marian Anderson Award Concert in 2003 and has returned to conduct this concert regularly since 2005. Mr. Wilkins first led the Orchestra’s Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert in 2004 and has returned for the past six consecutive years.

The School District of Philadelphia’s All City Choir, under the direction of Dorina C. Morrow of the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, represents students from 12 high schools in the School District of Philadelphia. The All City Choir performs annually in the All Philadelphia High School Music Festival.

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Martin Luther King Jr. Concert, first presented in 1991, reflects the beliefs and convictions of the famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., combining the traditions of African- American culture and Western classical music. The concert pays tribute to Dr. King’s religious beliefs, his vision of a society free of prejudice and racial divisions, and his belief in the power of music to effect change. Cigna has sponsored this event since its inception. Taking the Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert into the community reflects the Orchestra’s commitment to reaching new and diverse audiences. Since its Centennial in 2000, the Orchestra has performed free Neighborhood Concerts throughout the Philadelphia region, bringing the gift of music into the communities where people live in an attempt to break down the barriers that may separate it from many people in the community.

Martin Luther King High School began with groundbreaking ceremonies in 1969. Originally conceived as Northwest High School, the name was changed to honor the great, then recently slain, civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King was a man who devoted his life to equality, justice, freedom, and basic human decency. Martin Luther King High School’s mission is to emulate his principles, while providing all students with the opportunity to prepare themselves to be productive adults through academics and activities that connect young people to future careers and their community. Opened in February 1972, King High graduated its first students in 1976. Martin Luther King High School is a multi-faceted comprehensive high school located in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. Organizationally, King High School is one of 40 schools, including seven high schools, which is part of the Northwest Region.

Cigna (NYSE: CI) is a global health service and financial company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being, and sense of security. Cigna Corporation’s operating subsidiaries in the United States provide an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and vision care benefits, as well as group life, accident, and disability insurance. Cigna offers products and services in over 27 countries and jurisdictions and has approximately 60 million customer relationships throughout the world. All products and services are provided exclusively by such operating subsidiaries and not by Cigna Corporation. To learn more about Cigna, visit www.cigna.com. To sign up for e-mail alerts or an RSS feed of company news, log on to newsroom.cigna.com/rss. You can also follow them on Twitter at @cigna, visit Cigna’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/cigna, and listen to its podcast series with healthy tips and information at www.cigna.com/podcasts or by searching “Cigna” in iTunes.

Cigna Foundation is a private foundation funded by contributions from Cigna Corporation and its subsidiaries. The Cigna Foundation supports organizations sharing its commitment to enhancing the health of individuals and families, and the well-being of their communities, with a special focus on those communities where Cigna employees live and work.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is among the world’s leading orchestras. Renowned for its artistic excellence since its founding in 1900, the Orchestra has excited audiences with thousands of concerts in Philadelphia and around the world.

With only seven music directors throughout more than a century of unswerving orchestral distinction, the artistic heritage of The Philadelphia Orchestra is attributed to extraordinary musicianship under the leadership and innovation of Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti (1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach (2003-08). After 30 years of a celebrated association with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit continues the tradition as chief conductor.

Since Mr. Dutoit’s debut with the Orchestra in July 1980 he has led hundreds of concerts in Philadelphia, at Carnegie Hall, and on tour, as artistic director of the Orchestra’s summer concerts at the Mann Center, artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestra’s summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and now as chief conductor. With the 2012-13 season, the Orchestra honors Mr. Dutoit by bestowing upon him the title conductor laureate.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin assumed the title of music director designate in June 2010, immediately joining the Orchestra’s leadership team. He takes up the baton as The Philadelphia Orchestra’s next music director in 2012.

The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of countless music lovers worldwide, through concerts, presentations, and recordings. Each year the Orchestra presents a subscription season at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, education and community partnership programs, and annual appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center; it also regularly tours throughout the world. Its summer schedule includes performances at the Mann Center, free Neighborhood Concerts throughout Greater Philadelphia, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

CIGNA PRESENTS
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA’S ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. TRIBUTE CONCERT
January 16 at 3:00 PM – Monday afternoon – Martin Luther King High School, 6100 Stenton Avenue, Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Thomas Wilkins Conductor
Charlotte Blake Alston Narrator
School District of Philadelphia’s All City Choir (Dorina Morrow, director)

Goldsmith Fireworks
Ms. Alston “Trilogy of Loss, Struggle, and Hope” 
Hailstork Second movement from Symphony No. 1
Okoye Voices Shouting Out
Barber Adagio for Strings (with narration based on the words of Martin Luther King Jr.)
Poulenc “Gloria,” from Gloria
Rutter “The Lord Is My Shepherd”
Spiritual “Walk Together Children”
Johnson “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

Cigna and The Philadelphia Orchestra would like to thank the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for providing additional funding for this tribute to Dr. King.

For tickets and information, visit www.philorch.org/mlk.

Starting January 3, 2012, tickets will be available at the following locations:

Office of State Representative Dwight Evans, 7174 Ogontz Avenue, Philadelphia, 215.549.0220 (Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM)

Promise Academy at Martin Luther King High School, 6100 Stenton Avenue (Main Atrium), Philadelphia, 215.276.5253 (Hours: Monday–Friday, 12:30 PM–4:00 PM)

A limited number of tickets will also be made available online at www.philorch.org/mlk.

Seating is general admission and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a four-ticket limit per person. Doors open at 2:15 PM.