The Music Institute of Chicago Celebrates the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Music Institute of Chicago celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. through music and discussion via livestream January 16 and 17. Stephanie Shonekan will explore issues of race and identity in American music culture in a keynote lecture on Saturday, January 16 at 3 p.m. Shonekan is associate dean of the College of Arts & Science and professor of music at the University of Missouri, and she earned a PhD in ethnomusicology and folklore with a minor in African American Studies from Indiana University. A panel discussion follows the lecture.

On Sunday, January 17 at 3 p.m., the Music Institute presents a concert live-streamed from Nichols Concert Hall featuring Music Institute alumni, students, faculty, and special guests, along with students from the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CMPI), which offers talented student musicians from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds a pathway to musical training (the Music Institute is an affiliate partner of CMPI). Programming to date includes:

• Alumna violinist Rachel Barton Pine, performing Louisiana Blues by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and Hip-Hop Prayer No. 3 by Daniel Bernard Roumain
• Artist in residence and vocalist Tammy McCann, the Chicago Tribune's 2020 Chicagoan of the Year in jazz, performing "How I Got Over," which Mahalia Jackson sang prior to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech during the 1963 March on Washington
• Alumna violinist Hannah White, performing "Between Worlds" by Carlos Simon
• Faculty duo pianists Sung Hoon Mo and Inah Chiu, performing Symphony No. 1 in A Flat "Afro-American" by William Grant Still
• Clarinetist, saxophonist, and educator Victor Goines, joined by a rhythm section, performing his original work "MLK Suite"
• The Brotherhood Chorale of the Apostolic Church of God, directed by Brother Brian Rice

Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty will introduce the concert, and Reverend Dr. Raymond Hylton, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Evanston, will offer reflections.

Music Institute President and CEO Mark George said, "The Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration weekend is an opportunity for us to acknowledge the achievements of Dr. King, as well as affirm our resolve to make progress on issues of racial justice, especially as they relate to the teaching of music."

The Music Institute of Chicago's Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration weekend is made possible by The Chicago Community Trust. Technology sponsorship provided by Shure.

The Music Institute of Chicago's Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration events,
Including the lecture with Professor Stephanie Shonekan
Saturday, January 16 at 3 p.m.
and the concert with Music Institute alumni, students, faculty, and special guests,
Sunday, January 17 at 3 p.m.,
are available free at musicinst.org/nch.
All programming is subject to change.

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