Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Set for Today

Music Director Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will perform its annual tribute to DR. Martin Luther King, Jr., tonight, April 4, 2013, at 8:00 p.m., in Atlanta Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center. The concert will feature two world premieres: a new work by jazz pianist Marcus Roberts; and Everything Lasts Forever by composer and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra bassist Michael Kurth.

The Orchestra will also give the ASO subscription premiere of The Triumph of Day by student composer Commodore Primous. Mr. Primous, a freshman at Pebblebrook High School, won the Atlanta Symphony's inaugural Next Generation student composition contest last spring - he has worked with Mr. Kurth to convert his work for solo piano into a full orchestral piece. The Orchestra gave the world premiere of The Triumph of Day in October as part of the Orchestra's Concerts for Young People series. By the end of the 2012-13 season, it will have been performed for nearly 25,000 students.

The program will also include "Symphonic Dances" from Bernstein's West Side Story, and Rainbow Body by Atlanta School of Composers member Christopher Theofanidis. The concert will be repeated on Friday, April 5, 2013, at 8:00 p.m. The "A King Celebration" Concert was originally scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 17, 2013.

"Our annual 'A King Celebration' concert has been one of Atlanta's greatest traditions for over 20 years," said Atlanta Symphony Orchestra President Stanley E. Romanstein. "It is an honor to pay homage to Dr. King, while continuing to unite the Atlanta community through music. We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with the King Center, Spelman College, and Morehouse College, and we'd also like to thank Delta Air Lines for helping us bring this meaningful event to music lovers in our community."