Jan. 21 choir concert to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Singers from Penn State, local high schools and a historically Black university will celebrate the influence and inspiration of human-rights champion Martin Luther King Jr. in an event at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, in Eisenhower Auditorium. Tickets are $20 for an adult, $5 for a University Park student, and $10 for a person 18 and younger and are available for purchase online. Tickets are also available by calling 814-863-0255 or in person, weekdays from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., at Eisenhower Auditorium. Visit “A Choral Tribute” for more information. Performances will focus on choral and vocal music from African and African-American musical idioms that emphasize King’s legacy and influence. The program will feature works sung by Penn State’s Essence of Joy, conducted by Anthony T. Leach; Morgan State University Concert Choir, conducted by Eric Conway; State College Area High School Master Singers, conducted by Erik Clayton; and Bellefonte Area High School Concert Choir, conducted by Eric Binser. Special guest ensemble Mwenso and The Shakes will accompany the singers. “A Choral Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” is a vocal program modeled after the success of a concert series at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. That concert event, started in 1990, features local high school, university/college, worship center and community choirs coming together to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday through song. Leach, the event’s artistic coordinator, participated in the first and second concerts in 1990 and 1991, serving as accompanist with the Howard University Concert Choir. Acknowledgements This performance is part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Week of Commemoration: A Testament of Hope, and presented in partnership with the Penn State Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity and the MLK Jr. Student Commemorative Committee. #FORTHECULTURE A grant from the University Park Student Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible. Find the Center for the Performing Arts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.