News Release
Cleveland Orchestra to perform 31st annual
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert on January 16
Willie Anthony Waters to lead free program at Severance Hall
featuring the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus,
the Central State University Chorus, and Sphinx Competition prizewinner Randall Goosby
Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Councilman Kevin Conwell to participate in
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Community Service Award presentation
Pre-concert talk with James Rose to begin at 6:00 p.m.
Concert to be broadcast live on WCLV and WCPN radio stations
Release date: December 3, 2010
The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus and the Central State University Chorus performing with
The Cleveland Orchestra (photo by Roger Mastroianni); Willie Anthony Waters, conductor; Randall Goosby, violin; Brian Keith Johnson, baritone
The Musical Arts Association and Mayor Frank G. Jackson today announced The Cleveland Orchestra’s 31st annual concert in celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The concert will take place at Severance Hall on Sunday, January 16, 2011, at 7:00 p.m., under the direction of Willie Anthony Waters. The program will feature selections by Giuseppe Verdi, Felix Mendelssohn, and John Rutter, as well as spirituals and gospel songs by Roland Carter, Lee Hoiby, William Steffe, Moses Hogan, William Dawson, Adolphus C. Hailstork, and Uzee Brown, Jr. Performing as violin soloist in this year’s celebration concert is Sphinx Competition junior division prizewinner Randall Goosby. The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus and the Central State University Chorus, prepared by William Henry Caldwell, also will participate.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus is a 125-member volunteer chorus from the greater Cleveland community, and the internationally acclaimed Central State University Chorus (directed by William Henry Caldwell) is the official choir of Central State University, located in Wilberforce, Ohio. Violinist Randall Goosby, first-prize winner from the 2010 Sphinx Competition for Black and Latino string players, Junior Division, will make his Cleveland Orchestra debut as soloist in a performance of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216 (first movement). Bass-baritone Brian Keith Johnson will be soloist in Lee Hoiby’s I Have A Dream.
Program details are given at the end of this release.
Pre-Concert Talk with James Rose
Local business consultant and musician James Rose will give the pre-concert talk, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall. The talk is free to ticketholders for the evening’s concert. A native of Detroit, Mr. Rose has long been involved with the national Sphinx Competition and plays horn in the Sphinx Symphony, giving him a bird’s-eye view of the many talented Sphinx competitors. He has also served as mentor for Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra musicians for more than 16 years and played horn with the Detroit Metropolitan Orchestra.
Community Service Award to be Presented at Concert
In cooperation with the City of Cleveland, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Greater Cleveland Partnership will present the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Community Service Awards at the Orchestra’s 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert. Awards will be presented in recognition of the services and achievements of an individual, a business or organization, and a youth who have positively impacted Cleveland in the spirit of the teachings and example of Dr. King.
The Cleveland Orchestra’s first Martin Luther King Jr. Concerts were performed at Severance Hall, from 1980 through 1986. From 1987 through 1997, the concerts took place at Cleveland’s Cory United Methodist Church. In January 1998, the concert was performed at Severance Hall, and in 1999 it was performed at Cory Church. Beginning with the January 16, 2000, performance, which was part of a six-week series of concerts and other events celebrating the reopening of Severance Hall following extensive renovation and expansion, the concert has continued to be performed at Severance Hall.
For more information about award nominations and the MLK Celebration Concert on January 16, 2011, please contact The Cleveland Orchestra’s Department of Education and Community Programs at (216) 231-7355.
Beginning at 7:00 p.m., the concert will be broadcast live by radio stations WCLV (104.9 FM) and WCPN (90.3 FM).
The concert is sponsored by KeyBank, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence, with additional support from The Cleveland Foundation. The musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra donate their services for this concert as a benefit to the Musical Arts Association Sustaining Fund.
Biographical information on Willie Anthony Waters, Randall Goosby, Brian Keith Johnson, the Sphinx Competition, and William Henry Caldwell is available upon request.
Ticket and Parking Information
Admission to the concert is free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 28, 2010, through the Severance Hall Ticket Office in person; by phone at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141; or online at clevelandorchestra.com. There is a limit of 2 tickets per person. Due to the high demand for tickets to this concert, traditionally all tickets for this concert have been distributed by 4 p.m. on the day they are made available to the public.
Parking: For information about parking for Severance Hall concerts, click here.
Venue information: Severance Hall, which opened in 1931 as the home of The Cleveland Orchestra, is located at 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.
Calendar Listing
Sunday, January 16, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.
(Pre-Concert Talk by James Rose at 6:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall)
Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
WILLIE ANTHONY WATERS, conductor
RANDALL GOOSBY, violin
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CELEBRATION CHORUS
(prepared by William Henry Caldwell)
CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY CHORUS
(William Henry Caldwell, director)
JOHN STAFFORD SMITH The Star-Spangled Banner
ROLAND CARTER Lift Every Voice and Sing
GIUSEPPE VERDI Overture to La forza del destino
FELIX MENDELSSOHN “Rise Up, Arise” from St. Paul, Opus 36
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART “Allegro” from Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major
Randall Goosby, violin
JOHN RUTTER “Allegro vivace” from Gloria
LEE HOIBY I Have A Dream
Brian Keith Johnson, bass-baritone
WILLIAM STEFFE Battle Hymn of the Republic (arr. Wilhousky)
MOSES HOGAN Elijah Rock
WILLIAM DAWSON Soon Ah Will Be Done
ADOLPHUS C. HAILSTORK Epitaph (In Memoriam: Martin Luther King Jr.)
UZEE BROWN JR. We Shall Overcome
Presented by the City of Cleveland, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, and The Cleveland Orchestra. Sponsored by KeyBank, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence, with additional support from The Cleveland Foundation.
Admission to the concert is free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available beginning on Tuesday, December 28, at the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office and online. Due to the high demand for tickets to this concert, traditionally all tickets for this concert have been distributed by 4 p.m. on the day they are made available to the public.
Beginning at 7:00 p.m., the concert will be broadcast live by radio stations WCLV (104.9 FM) and WCPN (90.3 FM).
All artists and programs are subject to change.
* * *
For information about Community Service Award nominations, please contact The Cleveland Orchestra’s Department of Education and Community Programs at 216-231-7355. For information about tickets to the MLK Celebration Concert, please contact the Severance Hall Ticket Office at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141.
