News Release
Cleveland Orchestra to perform 32nd annual
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert on January 15
Chelsea Tipton II to lead free program at Severance Hall featuring the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus,
the Central State University Chorus, and Sphinx Competition prizewinner Alexandra Alvarado Switala
Cleveland Orchestra MLK Concert to feature Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Awards Presentation
Pre-concert talk to begin at 6:00 p.m.
Concert to be broadcast live on WCLV and WCPN radio stations
Concertgoers invited to bring non-perishable food donations to events at Severance Hall
for Orchestras Feeding America food drive
Release date: December 20, 2011
Chelsea Tipton II, conductor
William Henry Caldwell, conductor
Alexandra Alvarado Switala, violin
The Musical Arts Association and Mayor Frank G. Jackson today announced The Cleveland Orchestra’s 32nd annual concert in celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The concert will take place at Severance Hall on Sunday, January 15, 2012, at 7:00 p.m., under the direction of Chelsea Tipton II and William Henry Caldwell. The program will feature selections by Ludwig van Beethoven, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Felix Mendelssohn, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, as well as spirituals and gospel songs by Roland Carter and Uzee Brown, Jr. and arrangements of traditional spirituals. Performing as violin soloist in this year’s celebration concert is Sphinx Competition junior division prizewinner Alexandra Alvarado Switala. 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 Alexandra Alvarado Switala, first-prize winner in the 2011 Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latino string players, Junior Division, will make her Cleveland Orchestra debut as soloist in a performance of Ravel’s Tzigane.
Program details are given at the end of this release.
Pre-concert Talk
A pre-concert talk will be given beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall. The talk is free to ticketholders for the evening’s concert.
COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED AT CONCERT
The Cleveland Orchestra, in cooperation with the City of Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, will present the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Community Service Awards at the Orchestra’s 2012 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 awards will be presented by Mayor Frank G. Jackson along with Cleveland Councilman Kevin Conwell and Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Yvonne Conwell.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus and
the Central State University Chorus performing with
The Cleveland Orchestra
Photo by Roger Mastroianni
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 15, 2012, 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. The musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra donate their services for this concert as a benefit to the Musical Arts Association Sustaining Fund.
The Cleveland Orchestra to Hold Food Drive January 14-16, to Benefit Cleveland Foodbank
The Cleveland Orchestra will hold a food drive January 14-16 to benefit the Cleveland Foodbank. Concertgoers are invited to bring unexpired, non-perishable food items to donate at the following performances and events surrounding the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend:
- Saturday, January 14 – The Cleveland Orchestra at 8 p.m.
- Sunday, January 15 – The Cleveland Orchestra, MLK Celebration Concert at 7 p.m.
- Monday, January 16 – Severance Hall MLK Day Community Open House – noon to 5 p.m.
Marked bins will be available in the lobbies to collect donations one hour prior to each concert and throughout the Open House.
All unexpired, non-perishable food items are welcome, but the Cleveland Foodbank’s “Super Six” most-needed food items are: beef stew, canned soup, canned vegetables, cereal, peanut butter, and tuna fish.
The drive is part of Orchestras Feeding America, a national food drive held by America’s symphony orchestras. Last season, more than 250 orchestras representing all 50 states collected more than 300,000 pounds of food for their communities. The project was the single largest orchestra project organized at a national level, uniting musicians, staff, volunteers, and audiences to help alleviate hunger.
Ticket and Parking Information
Admission to the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert is free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Tuesday, January 3, 2012, through the Severance Hall Ticket Office in person; by phone at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141; or online. 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 15, 2012, at 7:00 p.m.
(Pre-Concert Talk at 6:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall)
Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
CHELSEA TIPTON II, conductor
WILLIAM HENRY CALDWELL, conductor
ALEXANDRA ALVARADO SWITALA, 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
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH – Festive Overture, Opus 96
FELIX MENDELSSOHN – “Thanks be to God” from Elijah, Opus 70
TRADITIONAL (arr. Phillip McIntyre) – Don’t You Let Nobody Turn You Round
MAURICE RAVEL – Tzigane (for violin and orchestra)
ALEXANDRA ALVARADO SWITALA, violin
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS – “Let All the World in Every Corner Sing”
From Five Mystical Songs
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN – Overture to Fidelio, Opus 72
TRADITIONAL (arr. Arnold Sevier) – Precious Lord
TRADITIONAL (arr. Hall Johnson) – I’ve Been ‘Buked
TRADITIONAL (arr. Keith Hampton) – Praise His Holy Name
SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR – “Danse Nègre” from African Suite, Opus 35, No. 4
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.
Admission to the concert is free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available beginning on Tuesday, January 3, 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.
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Press Contact
Ana Papakhian, 216-231-7476; Email
