Michael S. Wright on Free Concerts for Martin Luther King Holiday: 'I would welcome ideas of how to get people motivated in this direction in the UK.'

On January 19, 2013 AfriClassical posted: SMMirror.com: 'Santa Monica Symphony’s Second Concert Celebrates MLK’s Dream' Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, 3:30 PM With Music of Adolphus C. Hailstork  Today we received a response from Michael S. Wright, a longtime associate in the United Kingdom, concerning this and other recent posts about free concerts which commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

I am much impressed by the extent of concerts taking place to celebrate the late Martin Luther King. In the UK, we do not have such an event but there are quite a lot of people, particularly those who were alive when he was around who have great respect for him and the great efforts he made in human rights. The fact that he is remembered is important to the present generation. Music, being the universal language is an important media to communicate to the present generations. Performing these wonderful works by composers of African origin and descent is a fitting tribute. However, I particularly salute the charitable efforts of all the performers and organisers who put on such events for free. This extends to the composers of world standing class and who are contributing so much by waiving performance fees. In these times of economic austerity, with cuts in public funding, one must honour these events and I am glad that William Zick has brought these to my attention.

However, whilst this goes on in America, the same cannot be said in the UK and it does seem that there is some reluctance to follow the examples of the events that will be taking place in America. In the UK, we do have ‘Black History Month’ in October http://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/ however, there is not much in the way of music. I believe that there is scope to try and move things in order to follow the example and encourage free events such as the wonderful concerts and recitals that have been circulated on Bill Zick’s pages. I would welcome ideas of how to get people motivated in this direction in the UK.

Kind regards

Mike
[Michael S. Wright]