This August will mark the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
The Washington Chorus will commemorate the occasion with the special concert “Free at Last! A Musical Tribute to Dr. King’s Legacy” at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, April 4, which is also the anniversary of his death.
“This anniversary is the 55th year of the assassination … I didn’t realize until a couple of weeks ago that it coincided with that, but the 60th anniversary for the speech is quite incredible because it is probably his most famous speech, the one that everybody references,” baritone Kenneth Overton told WTOP.
The first half of the concert features “Scenes from the Life of a Martyr,” a 16-part oratorio by Undine Smith Moore, the granddaughter of slaves who grew up in Petersburg, Virginia, before studying music at Juilliard.
“It’s so incredibly under-performed, so I’m glad that it’s getting a Kennedy Center premiere after all of these years,” Overton said. “This is my first time doing it and I’m very excited about doing it … I am the narrator of this particular piece. It is scored for solo voices for soprano, tenor, mezzo-soprano, full chorus and narration. She probably did that because Martin Luther King was such a great orator that she infused some of that in this piece.”
The second half of the concert features “Requiem” by French composer Maurice Duruflé.
“It is so incredibly gorgeous,” Overton said. “As we know, requiems are musical remembrances to honor the deceased … Duruflé’s ‘Requiem’ is one of the staples in the classical music canon. It is so beautiful, so gorgeous. Again, it is scored for a full orchestra and two soloists, which is where you’ll hear me sing [as baritone] and a mezzo-soprano soloist … This one is laid back and plaintive and meditative with only a few dramatic outbursts.”
It’s all conducted by Washington Chorus Artistic Director Dr. Eugene Rogers.
“This is the first time I’ve worked with him as a conductor,” Overton said. “He’s such a great musician, such a great human being and he just radiates joy. I cannot wait to sing with him.”
Overton also finds special symbolism in performing at the Kennedy Center as Dr. King sparked John F. Kennedy’s commitment to the Civil Rights Movement, while Robert F. Kennedy famously announced King’s death in 1968.
“It’s one of the greatest concert halls on the planet,” Overton said. “Anytime I get to sing there is really special, but this particular concert, I’m definitely going to take a trip to [MLK’s] statue. … He’s one of my favorite people that’s ever lived and somebody I try to emulate in my own life. He was a man for every man, not just for one particular group of people. He wanted peace and equality for anybody and that, more than anything, that’s what this music does.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
