Concert attendees will experience the heart of the African-American musical experience, including spirituals, gospel, jazz, and popular, performed by the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, Choir, Chorus, Treble Chorale, and Jazz Vocal Ensemble; the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers; and SMTD alumni and faculty. There will also be a reading of King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”
Concert in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 27, 2023 | 7:30pm
Please Join Us
The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance presents
a Concert Event to Celebrate the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
directed by Baruch J. Whitehead, associate professor of music education
Friday, January 27, 2023
7:30 p.m.
Ford Hall, James J. Whalen Center for Music
Friday's concert is free and open to the public, and will also be livestreamed, and then available on demand starting a few days after the concert, both at ithaca.edu/music/live.
Don't Look Away
Don't Look Away
The concert will feature the world premiere of Don’t Look Away (Requiem for a World that Never Was), a thought-provoking piece about racism in America commissioned by School of Music, Theatre, and Dance associate voice professor dawn pierce ’97 in collaboration with IC alumni John Conahan ’96 (composer) and meaghan boeing ’00 (librettist). The piece is designed as an empathetic call to engagement and point of entry for majority white communities that may be unsure of how to begin this difficult conversation, and a dramatic exploration of the damage done by the racism that has shaped American society and how it is still in force today.
The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is also hosting the following pre- and post-concert events:
Tuesday, January 24, 12:10-1:00 p.m.
Hockett Family Recital Hall (Whalen Center for Music)
MTD Forum: Exploring Values of Martin Luther King, Jr. (in preparation for MLK Concert) with Laura Branca
Open to all students, faculty, and staff
Thursday, January 26, 5:00-5:50 p.m.
Nabenhauer Recital Room (Whalen Center 4308)
MTD Forum: Don't Look Away with composer John Conahan '96 and librettist meaghan boeing '00
Open to all students, faculty, and staff
Friday, January 27, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Hockett Family Recital Hall (Whalen Center for Music)
Pre-concert lecture: Don't Look Away. Laura Branca and Paula Ionide facilitate a discussion about the new composition with composer John Conahan '96 and librettist meaghan boeing '00
Open to the public
Post concert events have been scheduled during IC's MLK Celebration week as follows: Wednesday, February 15th at 12:00p.m. (for faculty and staff), and Thursday, February 16th, at 12:10p.m. (for students).
Special Accommodations
Special Accommodations
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Michael Stern at mstern@ithaca.edu or 607-274-3717. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.