North Central College to host Martin Luther King Vision Day, concert
Community and celebration are at the forefront of Chicago Sinfonietta's annual Martin Luther King Jr. tribute concert. The concert at North Central College's Wentz Hall kicks off a week of programming.
On Sunday, Jan. 16, Chicago Sinfonietta will perform "Joie de Vivre" at 3 p.m. in the concert hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave. in Naperville.
Opening the concert are three Florence Price works - "Ethiopia's Shadow in America," "Song of the Dark Virgin," and "Night," sung by renowned baritone Will Liverman.
Selections from Felix Mendelssohn's "Elijah" are next, followed by two Chicago premieres: Jesse Montgomery's "Soul Force" and artist-in-residence Kathryn Bostic's work "The Great Migration," with baritone Will Liverman returning as narrator. An exciting new work will be premiered for the traditional audience participation closing piece.
Tickets, $49-$62, are available at finearts.northcentralcollege.edu. Masks are required to attend all in-person events on campus, regardless of vaccination status. A $2 online processing fee is included for all tickets purchased online.
North Central College will be moving to a day of virtual programming for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 17.
The annual MLK Vision Day Luncheon will begin at noon with speaker Rev. Dr. Geneace Williams, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager for the City of Naperville. She will speak on the topic "We have tarried here long enough." The luncheon will be broadcast on the North Central College YouTube channel.
The MLK Teach-In will be conducted via Zoom and consist of hourly sessions beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until noon.
The goal of the Teach-In is to engage the community in learning and conversation about topics such as race, anti-racism, equity, inclusion and Dr. King's goals of peace and justice. Attendees are welcome to drop into the sessions as their schedules allow. Preregistration is required. You can read descriptions of each session and register at www.northcentralcollege.edu.
From 1 to 4:30 p.m., campus and community members are encouraged to use the college community service portal at noctrl.galaxydigital.com to view existing in-person and virtual community service opportunities around DuPage County.
On Tuesday, Jan. 18, there will be a worship service from 12:05 to 12:25 p.m. in the Koten Chapel in Kiekhofer Hall.
On Wednesday, Jan. 19, join in a virtual screening of the 2021 documentary "Summer of Soul" from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
On Thursday, Jan. 20, there will be a program "Honoring Civil Rights Leaders" from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Multicultural Student Center (2nd floor), Harold & Eva White Activities Center.
For questions, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at mca@noctrl.edu. North Central College's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Week and Black History Month activities are sponsored by BMO Harris Bank and Nicor Corp.