The Jacobs School of Music’s “Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.” event showcased a variety of work as a tribute to the work King did during his life and his enduring legacy after his death. The celebration was held Jan. 26, 11 days after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and six days after the federal holiday to honor him.
The Jacobs School of Music Diversity and Equity Committee organized the recital, which featured work by faculty, students and guests. First year master’s student Nikki Manso helped organize the event and gave the introduction.
“This is my second year as part of the DEI committee,” Manso said. “Every year we do the MLK concert, but this year was extra special for me because I began my master's in arts administration, and this is the first ever program that I had the opportunity to put together.”
After Manso’s introduction, Gloria Howell, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, was welcomed to the stage to give her opening remarks. In her speech, Howell emphasized the important relationship between art and social justice, calling on those involved in or supporters of the arts.
“Commit yourselves to embracing and living out Dr. King's message of hope, love, resistance and accountability,” Howell said. “I'll say that last word again: accountability. Challenge ways of thinking, doing and decision making that are archaic, debilitating to marginalized groups and let's just call it what it is. Racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, classist and all the other words that have ‘IST’ on the end of them.”
While some pieces had direct connections to King’s message and work, such as a ballet performance choreographed by IU senior Allison Smith to an audio excerpt of King’s iconic “I Have a Dream,” others connected with the spirit of King’s work.
One such connection made was a marimba performance by senior Mihail Babus of “Samsara” by Fabian Otten. Samsara is a Sanskrit word and concept that has connections to Buddhism and Hinduism and represents cyclical change, something Babus thought was representative of King’s message.
“We had a lot of art, but…it really shows the variety of talent in Jacobs School and our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion at this time,” Manso said. “It's really needed with everything that's been going on recently.”
One piece that highlighted the diversity and intersectionality in social justice was “El Preso” a 1975 Colombian salsa song by Álvaro Velázquez which touches on unfair incarceration and the oppression that prisoners face in Colombia. Sergio Ospina-Romero, assistant professor of musicology, performed the song on piano, accompanied by percussionist and IU alumnus Michael Wimer on the congas. While the piece was not directly connected to King or his work with the Civil Rights Movement, Ospina-Romero said it was chosen because of its timeless connections to social justice, as well as having similar themes to King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
“The concert is important because it highlights the change that needs to happen in the world right now,” Manso said. “I feel like the people that decided to be a part of this concert, you know, at Jacobs students are very busy, but the fact that they agreed to do it shows their commitment to changing the world in music.”
After the six pieces in the recital had concluded, Marietta Simpson, a distinguished Rudy professor of music, gave closing remarks and then led the crowd in a choral rendition of “We Shall Overcome.”
“Dr. King, he was a visionary,” Simpson said. “His thoughts…transcended the time period that he lived in and the work that they've done since the 1960s, both fortunately and unfortunately.”
