For 20 years, one of the highlights of Atlanta’s music season has been “A King Celebration,” a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. featuring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Morehouse College Glee Club, the Spelman College Glee Club and guest artists. For this anniversary year, Thursday's event will move from its traditional home at Morehouse College to Symphony Hall, which can accommodate a larger crowd.
Along with the orchestra, conducted by Robert Spano, this year’s concert will feature celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma, performing Antonin Dvorak’s “Cello Concerto in B Minor.” Ma, who has won 15 Grammy awards, is one of the most sought-after musicians in the world. Another highlight will be the performance of Joseph Schwantner’s “New Morning for the World,” written in 1982 in King's honor. Mayor Kasim Reed will act as narrator for the piece.
The two glee clubs will sing “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place,” from “A German Requiem” by Johannes Brahms, as well as “Elijah Rock,” a traditional spiritual. Also on the program is a relatively obscure work by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, “Ballade in A Minor.” Born of an African father and an English mother, Coleridge-Taylor achieved considerable success against great odds in Edwardian England. He is heard infrequently today, but one recurring theme of this concert over the years has been the inclusion of key African and African-American composers.
Another tradition is the finale, when the audience joins hands to sing along in a orchestral and choral arrangement by Uzee Brown Jr. of “We Shall Overcome,” an anthem of the civil rights movement.
The first King Celebration took place in 1993 as a recital featuring soprano Jessye Norman. It was sponsored by the ASO, but with only piano accompaniment. Because the second half of the program required the participation of a chorus, the Morehouse and Spelman College Glee Clubs were recruited.
Response was so positive that in the following year the orchestra was brought in. It became an annual event and for a while was part of the ASO series for subscribers. Later it was taken out of the subscription series and moved to the King International Chapel at Morehouse College, King’s alma mater. This enhanced the involvement of historically black colleges and the African-American community. The event has evolved into a major social gathering for Atlanta’s black leadership.
The concert is actually a celebration and there is no local musical event on the classical calendar that can compete with the King celebration for its joy and fellowship.
This year the concert will be broadcast live on American Public Radio, with host Fred Child joined by guest host Lois Reitzes of Atlanta’s WABE radio. Then on Monday, the concert will be rebroadcast to nearly 250 radio stations across the country via the program “Performance Today.” The audience for this broadcast is estimated at 2.5 million, by far the largest audience reached by the ASO during the year.
Concert Preview
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, "A King Celebration." 8 p.m. Thursday. $55-$125. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree Street N.E., Atlanta. 404-733-5000. www.atlantasymphony.org. Also broadcast live on WABE radio, 90.1 FM.
