Tonight, the Indiana Symphony Orchestra (ISO) will host its 34th celebration of its Black History Concert, honoring the impact of African-American musicians on the cultural life of Indianapolis and the nation. This concert, taking place at The Hilbert Circle Theatre at 7:30 p.m., is free to the public, but tickets must be reserved in advance.
Kristin Cutler with the ISO says this year’s event will also pay tribute to the speech Robert Kennedy made in Indianapolis on the night of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
“This is such an interesting opportunity we have as a city this year with the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s death coming up,” said Cutler. “We have the opportunity to highlight what happened in Indianapolis on the night of Dr. King’s death. Based on that inspiration, we were able to come up with a program that pays tribute to Dr. King and the speech that Kennedy made in Indianapolis that night.”
This event features guest conductor Roderick Cox of the Minnesota Orchestra and soprano Leah Hawkins, a member of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera.
In addition to proving entertainment and a history lesson, Cutler hopes the event will bring in new audiences to the ISO.
“We hope this is an opportunity for people who haven’t had an experience with the ISO. We look forward to this opportunity to invite new audiences,” said Cutler. “We want to make a connection between music and historic moments. We want to use moments from our past as inspiration for our future, and anytime we can use music to shine a light we are happy to be a part of that.”
Kennedy King Park
