PROGRAM
Price Dances in the Canebrakes
I. Nimble Feet
II. Tropical Noon
III. Silk Hat and Walking Cane

Joel Thompson breathe/burn: an elegy*

Jeffrey Scott Sinfonietta of Dreams
II. Prayer
I. Hope

Adapted by Hamilton, Horton, and Seeger (arr. Roy Ringwald)
We Shall Overcome

 

CONDUCTOR
Mei-Ann Chen

GUEST CONDUCTOR
Antoine T. Clark

GUEST ARTISTS
Joel Thompson, Composer
Ifetayo Ali-Landing, Cello

*World Premiere, Chicago Sinfonietta commission

Chicago Sinfonietta's annual MLK Tribute Concert is a tradition we've shared since the orchestra was founded by Maestro Paul Freeman more than thirty years ago. In celebrating Dr. King, the Sinfonietta has selected three enthralling works by a trio of African American composers: Florence Price, Joel Thompson, and Jeff Scott.

The concert begins with William Grant Still’s orchestral arrangement of Florence Price’s piano work, Dances in the Canebrakes, a Chicago Sinfonietta signature piece. Composer Joel Thompson (Seven Last Words of the Unarmed) returns with a new commission piece titled breathe/burn: an elegy, composed in memory of Breonna Taylor and performed with Chicago cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing in the role of soloist.

Jeff Scott’s work, Sinfonietta of Dreams, was written in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We close the online concert with a Chicago Sinfonietta tradition: We Shall Overcome, performed in unison from homes across the country in a spirit of hope and resilience.