Music for Lincoln and King in Atlanta

Photo courtesy of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra salutes two historic figures in this month’s “A King Celebration.” The 17th annual concert for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 15 pays tribute to the late civil rights leader, born on that date in 1929 in Atlanta, and the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth.
ASO music director Robert Spano leads the orchestra and the glee clubs of Morehouse and Spelman colleges in selections that reflect the legacy of the two men. Historians say Lincoln loved operas and concerts with Beethoven, Verdi, and spirituals among his favorite music.
The concert at Morehouse College features Verdi’s overture “La forza del destino,” Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Nicholas Flagello’s “The Passion of Martin Luther King,” Ulysses Kay’s “A Lincoln Letter,” and “We Shall Overcome.”
The concert is at 8 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel in on the Atlanta campus. General admission is $25, students $7. Advance tickets are available at Woodruff Art Center box office at 15th and Peachtree Streets, 404-733-5500, or www.atlantasymphony.org.
For those who can’t be at Morehouse, American Public Media plans to broadcast the concert on Monday Jan. 19 on over 250 stations that carry “Performance Today.” For stations and broadcast times, visit the website.

Posted by Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent