A spokesperson says---
“...The performance will showcase works by Black composers, including John Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson’s anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” Richard Smallwood’s “Total Praise,” and Carlos Simon’s “Ring Shout” and “Holy Dance” from Four Black American Dances. The program will also feature John Rutter’s “The Lord Is My Shepherd” and Roderick Giles’s “Love Is What We Need,” featuring the Choir of the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts and the Girard College High School Choir. Pianist Clayton Stephenson will join Wilkins and the Orchestra for a performance of the first movement from Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. Stephenson is a recipient of the 2025 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, recognizing extraordinary leaders in classical music who are transforming lives while addressing the systemic obstacles within Black and Latino communities. Continuing a cherished tradition, Imasogie Storyteller, Narrator, and Host Charlotte Blake Alston will deliver a moving recitation of excerpts from Dr. King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech, accompanied by Barber’s Adagio for Strings..."
Program:
Johnson “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Simon “Ring Shout” and “Holy Dance,” from Four Black American Dances—First Philadelphia Orchestra performance
Gershwin First movement, from Piano Concerto in F
Rutter “The Lord Is My Shepherd”
Barber Adagio for Strings (with narration based on the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Giles “Love Is What We Need”
Smallwood “Total Praise”
CREATIVE TEAM:
Thomas Wilkins Conductor
Clayton Stephenson Piano
Charlotte Blake Alston Speaker
Choir of the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts
Lauren Thomas-Moyett Director
Girard College High School Choir
Paul M. Eaton Director
