Music Institute of Chicago to Present Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Concert

The Music Institute of Chicago presents its 23rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Concert featuring performances by professional and student musicians and an examination of Dr. King's visionary message. The free concert takes place Sunday, January 18 at 3 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall.

This year's concert focuses on music and its learners through the lens of Dr. King's words. The program showcases performances by the Music Institute's students, faculty, and Chicago-area artistic partners. The keynote speaker, composer and educator Dr. Jonathan Bailey Holland, is dean of Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music. His opera The Bridge examines Dr. King's journey to Selma and premieres in 2026.

The Music Institute also welcomes:

• Heariing in Color, a Chicago-based organization dedicated to sharing music that has been historically excluded from musical spaces; the Music Institute has commissioned a world premiere choral work by Abisola Toukourou through the Hearing in Color Young Composer Residency, performed by Hearing in Color's Chroma Vocal Ensemble

•  Evanston Children's Choir, a dynamic platform for “diversity in harmony,” which creates a transformative experience for young choir members from all walks of life 

• Dance Center Evanston,  Evanston's premier dance training center for more than 30 years, premiering a new work

• Reach Teach Play, the Ravinia Festival's outreach programs serving more than 50,000 people in under-resourced Chicago-area communities and schools

• Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, an initiative that identifies and develops gifted orchestral students from underrepresented backgrounds toward careers as professional musicians

• Evanston Art Center, which fosters appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences through classes, exhibitions, interactive arts activities, and community outreach, offering a visual art display curated by Evanston-based artist Fran Joy

• Students from Evanston District 65 presenting oratorical declamation of Dr. King's word

Chicago Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. RENT (Highland Park Players)

6.9% of votes

2. HAIRSPRAY (Uptown Music Theater of Highland Park)

6.9% of votes

3. DREAMGIRLS (The Drama Group)

6.4% of votes

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