On Monday, Jaffrey and Rindge will hold the first of two observances for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, celebrating his legacy in song.
The Monadnock Chorus and Dublin School Chorus will headline the event, singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a hymn about the African-American struggle, hope and faith.
The hymn is reflective of Jaffrey’s theme this year, “Lift Every Voice: A Celebration in Song.”
In addition to the performance of the school choruses, singer and songwriter Devin Johnson, a student at Franklin Pierce University, will perform his original composition, “Lifted.”
Organizer Peggy Ueda said the theme reflects the importance of music both in King’s life and within the Civil Rights movement.
King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, was a classically trained singer and held “Freedom Concerts” that contained a blend of music, poetry and storytelling to help fund the Civil Rights movement.
Moments like the historic performance by Marian Anderson on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 helped to highlight the movement. That concert drew tens of thousands of people, and was broadcast to millions more. It was arranged with the help of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt after Anderson was barred from singing in Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution because she was Black. Anderson had also been barred from performing in the auditorium of a white public high school by Washington, D.C., officials.
“Musicians were very important barrier breakers,” Ueda said.
She said these are stories that are important for today’s children to learn about. As part of the presentation, Jaffrey fifth graders will present on singer-activists.
The family-friendly community celebration takes place on Monday, Jan. 19, from 5-6 p.m. at the Park Theatre. Admission is free.
Keynote speaker on Jan. 25
On Jan. 25, the second half of the Jaffrey-Rindge Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration will be held at the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, featuring keynote speaker Andre de Quadros.
De Quadros is Professor of Music at Boston University and a conductor, ethnomusicologist, writer, and human rights activist.
De Quadros will speak on “Beloved Community in the Making: Performance, Radical Hope, and Repair.”
“Beloved community” is a concept spoken about by King, de Quadros said, and his talk will center on that concept and building that community across barriers and differences.
Part of de Quadros’ work is building that community, through artistic expression, including song, poetry, journaling and short stories within communities.
He has worked in more than 40 countries in diverse settings, including professional ensembles, prisons, psychosocial rehabilitation, and with refugees and victims of sexual violence, torture, and trauma. Since 2010, de Quadros has co-directed historic projects bringing together Palestinians and Israelis for dialogue and peace-seeking through music. His projects seek to generate collaborations and build peace.
“I’m not a political scientist or theorist, I am a musician,” de Quadros said. “I work to bring groups together who might not want anything to do with each other, sometimes in highly polarized environments, and explore how, through music, we come together, express ourselves, our dreams and sadness and grief.”
De Quadros said he works to create a space for people to tell their stories, in whatever form that might take, across artistic expressions.
“Sometimes it’s something that is not what people want to hear, and sometimes it’s uncomfortable,” de Quadros said. “But it’s not about me. It’s about how people express themselves, how they want to express themselves, without criticism and without filtering.”
De Quadros said it’s vitally important to hear voices that are otherwise marginalized, and hear from those who are often excluded from positions of power.
“We have responsibilities, in 2026 and in the future, to create a world that is the thing that Martin Luther King left for us — that is the ‘beloved community,'” de Quadros said. “That’s the key point. We have responsibility every minute of every day to create that community.”
The keynote address by de Quadros will take place on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Pines. Reservations at www.cathedralofthepines.org/register.