On Sunday, Jan. 19, the Kennedy Center put on its annual commemoration and remembrance concert in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., entitled “Let Freedom Ring.”
The 21st annual production of the concert featured many notable artists including Tony nominated actor and Grammy and Emmy award winning songwriter and composer Christopher Jackson, most notably recognized for his portrayal of George Washington in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton.
The concert opened with a montage of interviews from King and other activists in the Civil Rights movement before music producer Nolan Williams Jr. took the stage.
Williams premiered his work, “Selma@60,” described as an “urban anthem” commemorating the 60th anniversary of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. It featured two narrators and three interpretive dancers from the NEWorks House Band and NEWorks Voices of America.
The following musical selections were performed by Esperanza Spalding, winner of a 2011 Grammy award for best new artist; Lew Sid, winner of NEWorks Productions’ National Rise Up Song Challenge; Chelsey Green, a Billboard charting violinist and violist; and Jackson. These songs varied in style, tempo and tone, but all spoke to the themes of liberation, protest, resistance and hope in times of adversity and darkness.
Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact at the Kennedy Center Marc Bamuthi Joseph told the audience at the beginning of the performance, “Ya’ll have been very cordial, I have to say, and that is not in the radical spirit of the man that we are here to celebrate.”
By the end, the entire concert hall was on its feet singing, clapping and dancing to the final song, “Birmingham Letter.”
In between songs, various speakers such as host Taye Diggs, Joseph, Rev. Ebony Grisom, Director of Protestant Life at Georgetown University and Georgetown University Interim President Robert M. Groves addressed the audience about the importance of the day and the key teachings and legacy that King left behind.
President and CEO of Voices for a Second Chance, Paula C. Thompson, received the John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award given out by Georgetown University annually to a community member who embodies the spirit of King. Thompson’s three children accompanied her on stage as Groves presented the award.
Towards the end of the performance, the chorus of “Birmingham Letter” was repeated several times, with more and more of the audience standing up and singing along each time. The powerful words “we fight for human rights” repeated as the music echoed throughout the concert hall and people began to file out.
As friends and family gathered around to talk about the performance outside of the concert hall, the air buzzed with hope and lifted spirits.
Charlotte Putney, a sophomore in the School of International Service, the College of Arts and Sciences felt empowered by the night’s performances.
“There were just so many talented people all in one space and I thought that was incredible,” Putney said. “I am leaving the Kennedy Center feeling good about the future.”
This article was edited by Jessica Ackerman, Marina Zaczkiewicz and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Emma Brown, Charlie Mennuti and Ella Rousseau.
