PilotOnline.com: In honor of MLK Day, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra will stream their annual celebration beginning Monday [George Walker & Adolphus Hailstork]

Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Hampton Roads four times between 1961 and 1966. He often met with regional leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, who were usually Baptist pastors. After his official business, many recall that King stayed in homes in Virginia Beach. (Ray Dolwick)

By Amy Poulter

The Virginian-Pilot 

Jan 15, 2021

NORFOLK — The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is paying homage to civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by streaming its “Songs for a Dreamer” concert.

Starting Monday, the concert will be available for viewing on the VSO’s YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH9Q9lP5kK2cmFm_2xO_zxQ] for 45 days.

Presented in collaboration with the City of Norfolk and VSO’s HARMONY Project (a collaboration with 10 historically black churches throughout Hampton Roads), this year’s concert will include welcoming remarks by Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander, an invocation delivered by Pastor Robert Lee of Collinswood Agape Baptist Church and excerpts from inspiring speeches made by King will be recited by Pastor Jerome Barber of Sixth Mt. Zion Baptist Temple and Pastor Geoffrey Guns of Second Calvary Baptist Church.

A string quartet — featuring VSO musicians Simon Lapointe, Seiko Syvertsen, Alexandra Takasugi, and Rebecca Gilmore Phillips – will also perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” with featured vocal soloist Gregory Gardner of Norfolk State University, George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings,” the African American hymn “He Looked Beyond My Faults” and Adolphus Hailstork’s “Adagio for Strings.”