IU Jacobs School of Music presents Martin Luther King concert Jan. 15
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 10, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality," said Martin Luther King Jr.
In remembrance of the revered civil rights leader and the principles he espoused, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, in conjunction with the IU African American Arts Institute and the IU Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, will present "Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 4 p.m. in Auer Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
The multi-media concert celebrating King's life and legacy will feature musical performances, readings and remarks by IU faculty and students as well as guests.
"Dr. King envisioned a world where skin color wasn't the basis for the evaluation of a person's worth," said Marietta Simpson, Jacobs professor of voice. "He believed that every individual should be afforded the same respect and access to opportunities to succeed, and share a responsibility to community and their fellow man. The Jacobs School of Music is a shining example of that dream. This diverse community of world-class faculty and students, with its cultural differences and personal preferences, unites to study, create and interpret music."
"Music was an integral part of the marches, meetings and demonstrations led by Dr. King as he worked relentlessly toward his dream of a more just society," said Charles Sykes, executive director of the African American Arts Institute. "It helped to fuel the spirit and determination of those who marched with him in the quest for human rights and justice. What better way to honor King's legacy than to do it with music?"
Featured Jacobs ensembles include the Brass Choir, directed by Edmund Cord, and the University Singers and Symphonic Choir, directed by Richard Tang Yuk. Featured Jacobs School faculty members include soprano Sylvia McNair, mezzo-sopranos Mary Ann Hart and Simpson, violinist Jorja Fleezanis, pianists Jean-Louis Haguenauer, Luke Gillespie and Liang-Yu Wang, and organist David Kazimir. Jacobs students Kevin Künkel, cello, and Da Woon Chung, piano, will perform also.
Additional participants from IU include Mellonee Burnim, director of the Ethnomusicology Institute; Keith McCutchen, director of the African American Choral Ensemble; and James Mumford, professor emeritus and former director of the African American Choral Ensemble.
Guests LaVerta Terry, a former recipient of the City of Bloomington's Lifetime Contribution Award, and The Honorable Viola J. Taliaferro will offer remarks.
"We may not have participated in the events of the civil rights era, but we stand on the shoulders of those who sat in at lunch counters, who rode the freedom buses, who drank at separate fountains, who sang while marching and who gave their lives in the pursuit of the freedoms that all Americans now enjoy," said Simpson.
