On Monday, January 16, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at the Morris Performing Arts Center, the South Bend Symphony, led by conductors Dr. Marvin Curtis and Chelsea Tipton II, will perform its annual MLK Day Celebration Concert.  This concert will feature violinist Maria Sanderson, Junior Division Winner of the 2016 Sphinx Competition, and nationally-recognized trumpeter Rodney Marsalis; as well as multiple IU South Bend Choirs and Olivet AME Church Choir.

The diverse program includes works by Verdi, Mozart, Duke Ellington, Johann Hummel, and Dr. Marvin Curtis, as well as multiple well-known spirituals such as Hear My Prayer, You Must Have That True Religion, and We Shall Overcome.

The SBSO will donate 50% of the proceeds from concert ticket sales to the Underrepresented Teachers Scholarship of IU South Bend.  This scholarship aims to provide support for students of color to enter the teaching profession, and has aided 5 students in its first year of inception.  The SBSO hopes that this partnership will bring awareness to this important scholarship and the funds raised through ticket sales will help its continued success.

”The SBSO is thrilled to present the annual MLK Day Celebration concert for the eight consecutive year.  As we celebrate diversity through music, we are honored to feature a number of national and local partnerships on our stage” says Executive Director Agnieszka Rakhmatullaev.

The SBSO has received national recognition with the Challenge America grant awarded by the NEA, which supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

“The arts are for all of us, and by supporting organizations such as the South Bend Symphony, the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum, or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer.”

This concert is made possible, in part, with support from the following: NEA, African American Community Fund of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County; Co-Sponsors the Morris Performing Arts Center, Saint Joseph Health System, and Transpo; Guest Artist Underwriter Lexus of Mishawaka; Community Outreach support from Nipsco.

Tickets are $10, FREE for students and children, and are on sale at The Morris Box Office, by phone at 574-235-9190 or online at www.MorrisCenter.org.  The Morris Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Details for the SBSO’s 2016-17 “Season of Discovery” can be found at www.southbendsymphony.org.