Today is the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. WPSU’s Kristine Allen reports there are a couple of commemorations today in Central Pennsylvania.
MLK Plaza in downtown State College will host a public remembrance of Dr. King, starting this evening at 5:30. Penn State theatre professor emeritus, Charles Dumas will give a dramatic reading of King’s final speech; and some of King’s favorite music will be played by local artists.
Then tonight at 7:30 at Penn State’s Eisenhower Auditorium, there’s a free concert in tribute to Dr. King. It involves choirs from Penn State, Juniata College, and the community.
Penn State’s Tony Leach will direct the choir, “Essence of Joy” at the performance.
“The repertoire that Essence of Joy is doing, actually goes back, in a very profound way, to the civil rights era,” Leach said. We will begin with a setting of 'Precious Lord,' because this was sung at Dr. King’s funeral. And it was also one of his favorite songs. “
The performance is free, but tickets are required.
For more information, visit: https://music.psu.edu/performance/choral-tribute-martin-luther-king-jr
