In its 19th year, the “Let Freedom Sing” concert celebrates unity and diversity on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend by presenting inspirational vocal music to raise funds to support the arts and fight hunger in the region.
“Let Freedom Sing” returns to the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty on Monday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are “Pay What Moves You,” $2 to $50, benefiting the East End Cooperative Ministry’s Food Pantry, the Afro-American Music Institute, and the “Let Freedom Sing” concerts. Tickets are available at the Kelly Strayhorn website.
Attendees are also encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the EEMC Pantry.
The live concert will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube. Links to the stream will be live at www.letfreedomsing.net
The concert features The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh and the Rodman Street Baptist Church Choir, and the program concludes with a performance by the intergenerational MLK Festival Choir, directed by Dr. Herbert V.R.P. Jones and Alton Mitchell.
Acclaimed operatic soprano Zuly Inirio is featured as a soloist.
KiKi B. Jones, of WAMO 107.3 FM, joins the event as emcee.
A jazz trio backs up the singers for the evening. Event sponsors are: The Afro-American Music Institute; UPMC; The Unitarian Universalists Social Justice Endowment; and AARP.
“Dr. King fought for justice and human dignity with love and determination,” says concert producer Kris Rust, a music minister in the Unitarian Universalist Churches of Greater Pittsburgh and LFS co-founder with Dr. Jones. “We tap into that spirit when we come together and sing this incredible music, remembering the progress made by Dr. King, but also facing our current struggles for equity and justice,” Rust continues. “For more than 19 years, these annual concerts have been uniting us in love and fueling our determination to face injustices in our communities and in our world.”
Since 2008, the annual “Let Freedom Sing” concerts have aimed to break through divisions along geographic, demographic, and economic lines as choirs and artists from city and suburb converge to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy.
Through its engagement of singers of all ages, races, and ethnicities, the MLK Festival Choir cultivates participation from diverse singers and choirs.
Attendees and supporters may donate onsite on the night of the concert, or online at: