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Norfolk community to pay tributes in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted at 4:09 PM, Jan 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-10 16:10:01-05

Black American civil rights leader Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968) addresses crowds during the March On Washington at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC, where he gave his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

NORFOLK, Va. – Two free community events have been planned in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Hampton Roads community is invited to join.

The Virginia Symphony, in partnership with the City, presents Songs for a Dreamer – A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The free concert features orchestral and vocal performances that honor the legacy of Dr. King. The concert will be Sunday, January 20 at 7 pm at Second Calvary Baptist Church 2940 Corprew Avenue.

Musicians of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and performances from NSU’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble, led by director Frank T. Elliott will feature the multi-media concert. The Ensemble will be performing There Is A Balm and Glory from the movie Selma.

Soloists Eden Crumbly and Stephanie Saunders will also be featured in the concert. Eden Crumbly, age 14, has played the violin since she was three years old and currently is a member of the Bay Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Capriccio Ensemble through the Academy of Music.

Stephanie Saunders is a concert bassoonist, jazz saxophonist, and the Assistant Band Director (Spartan “Legion” Marching Band) and Director of the NSU Jazz Ensembles. A frequent guest with the VSO, Saunders’ rendition of Duke Ellington’s Three Black Kings, Part 3: “Martin Luther King” is a crowd favorite.

The presentation of the VSO’s annual Dreamer Award to Norfolk native and graduation of Booker T. Washington High School, Thomas Wilkins will be the highlight of the event. Wilkins studied at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston before embarking on highly successful career as an orchestral conductor.

The City of Norfolk will host its annual ceremony honoring the Dr. King, Jr., on Monday, January 21 at 10 a.m., at the Attucks Theatre. Doors open at 9 a.m. The public is invited to march to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial for a wreath-laying ceremony after the ceremony is completed.

For more information on Songs for a Dreamer, call 757-892-6366 or visit this link.

For more information on the MLK ceremony, call 757-664-4253 or visit Norfolk’s website.