Free tickets available at www.philorch.org/mlk2023
Philadelphia Orchestra broadcast partner WRTI 90.1 FM to air the concert live
(Philadelphia, January 4, 2023)––In partnership with Girard College and Global Citizen’s Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, The Philadelphia Orchestra will present its 33rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert, led by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, on Monday, January 16, at 3:00 PM at the Girard College Chapel. Tickets are free and available at www.philorch.org/mlk2023.
The concert reflects the Orchestra’s commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies (IDEAS) and showcases works by Black composers, including John Rosamond Johnson’s and James Weldon Johnson’s powerful anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” featuring the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts Chorus and the Girard College High School Choir; Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst; selections from Margaret Bonds’s The Montgomery Variations; Richard Smallwood’s “Anthem of Praise”; and the first movement of Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 1 featuring Melissa White, a previous winner of the Sphinx Competition, which recognizes and develops classical music talent in the Black and Latinx communities. Continuing a long-held event tradition, Imasogie Storyteller, Narrator, and Host Charlotte Blake Alston will deliver a stirring recitation of excerpts from Dr. King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech accompanied by Barber’s Adagio for Strings.
“The annual MLK concert is one of the Orchestra’s most important and cherished traditions, and we are delighted to return to the Girard College Chapel to celebrate and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., through music,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. “Music can give voice to thoughts and ideas that words alone cannot, and we look forward to demonstrating the power of the arts to bring us together and to create positive change in our society.”
“We are thrilled to once again host The Philadelphia Orchestra in our beautiful Chapel and serve as a community partner in celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said F. Christopher Goins, president of Girard College. “It is a special honor for our students to share the stage with these world-class musicians and experience the moving works of the Black composers featured in the program. This moment is a powerful expression of our school’s mission and purpose.”
“Global Citizen is excited to partner for the ninth year with The Philadelphia Orchestra for the 28th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service,” said Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen and founder and director of the King Day of Service. “Our focus on gun violence prevention is particularly relevant today. Dr. King’s life was tragically cut short by gun violence, and today it continues to senselessly cut short the lives of so many throughout society. We must all play a role to stop this violence, promote social justice, and achieve the ‘beloved community’ for which Dr. King devoted his life. The annual King Tribute Concert brings us together to promote a beloved community through music and fellowship.”
The Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert is generously sponsored by PECO, with additional sponsorship 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 16 at 3:00 PM—Monday afternoon—Girard College Chapel, Philadelphia
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Melissa White Violin—Philadelphia Orchestra Debut
Charlotte Blake Alston Speaker
Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts Chorus
Lauren Thomas-Moyer Director
Girard College High School Choir
Paul M. Eaton Director
Johnson “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Montgomery Starburst
Price First movement from Violin Concerto No. 1
Bonds Selections from The Montgomery Variations—First Philadelphia Orchestra Performance
Barber Adagio for Strings (with narration based on the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Traditional “City Called Heaven”
Traditional “Children, Go Where I Send Thee”
Smallwood “Anthem of Praise”—First Philadelphia Orchestra Performance
The concert is free, but tickets are required and available at www.philorch.org/mlk2023. 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.
About The Philadelphia Orchestra
About Yannick Nézet-Séguin
About the 2022–23 Season
Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies (IDEAS)