On Jan. 16, 2022, The Cleveland Orchestra will present its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert at the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall at the Severance Music Center.

Led by Associate Conductor Vinay Parameswaran, the concert will feature soprano Jacqueline Echols and the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus and an all-volunteer community chorus directed by Dr. William Henry Caldwell. The program will be comprised of works from prominent Black composers such as Dolores White, Mary D. Watkins, Carlos Simon, Brian Raphael Nabors, William Grant Still, and Samuel Coleridge Taylor. There will also be songs from the African-American spiritual tradition, with the program to be closed by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson’s hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

The event will also include the presentation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 2022 Community Service Awards, given by the TCO to individuals who have made a positive impact on the city and upheld the example of Dr. King. The recipients will be announced at the concert.

The following day will feature a free community day at the Severance Music Center, which will see performances by musicians from TCO, the TCO Youth Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus, and a gospel ensemble. Guests will be encouraged to share their hopes, dreams, and artwork on the “I Have a Dream” wall, as well as take home a free coloring book.

Tickets will be available for free on a first-come first-served basis, starting on Jan. 8. There will also be a live radio broadcast available on WCPN, WCLV, and Ideastream Public Media’s website.