The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration will take place Monday, Jan. 19, from 5 to 6 p.m. at The Park Theatre, featuring music and student presentations under the theme “Lift Every Voice: A Celebration in Song.”
The program recognizes the role of singing in social protest and will include performances by the Monadnock Chorus and the Dublin School Chorus, an original composition by Franklin Pierce University student Devin Johnson, and presentations by fifth-grade students on influential singer-activists, along with additional musical selections.
A keynote address will follow on Sunday, Jan. 25, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Pines. The speaker will be André de Quadros, professor of music at Boston University, conductor, writer and human rights activist.
De Quadros’ work in building peace, reconciliation and psycho-social rehabilitation has taken him to more than 40 countries, where he uses music as a tool for dialogue and cooperation. His projects include Heartsong Chorus, bringing together young Israelis and Palestinians, and ensembles he directs along the U.S.–Mexico border. His address, titled “Beloved Community in the Making: Performance, Radical Hope, and Repair,” reflects the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the beloved community.