What:
Martin Luther King Memorial Concert
Where:
Sursa Performance Hall
When:
Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 PM
The concert will feature step dance performed by the National Panhellenic Council, an African drum circle, and various music acts.
Maegan Pollonais is a first-year graduate student working to pursue her doctorate of arts in music vocal performance and will sing “Give Me Jesus” at the event.
Though this is her first time being a part of the concert, Pollonais said that she has experience with singing spirituals like the one she will be performing on Thursday.
Pollonais notes that the concert is more than just a performance.
“The meaning behind [the concert] is important,” Pollonais said. “It’s a good opportunity to branch out and really appreciate and give my tribute to the whole season.”
Johnnie Taylor, a junior music education major, will be singing “I Ain’t Got Weary Yet” with piano accompaniment. Taylor has never performed in the concert before, but has been singing baritone for three years under Meryl Mantione, a professor of voice and member of the School of Music’s multicultural committee.
“I’m always excited to get the chance to perform a solo on Sursa stage,” Taylor said. “I’ve always wanted to perform on this concert.”
Mantione, who also served as the concert's organizer, said one of her committee’s goals is to provide experiences for music students to learn about music genres and styles from different cultures and countries, as well as to broaden the participation on campus and within the Muncie Community
Mantione said the event serves as a reminder of what African-Americans have had to deal with.
“I’m a senior citizen, I’m a white woman so there are some ways that I can understand the struggles that African-Americans have had in this country but I can’t really get inside of that and I think we all need to be reminded,” she said.
Though there has been progress since the Civil Rights Movement, Mantione acknowledges that there is still progress to be made.
“I think it’s appropriate for all of us to take time to remember. There’s still work to be done and especially those of us that aren’t part of that struggle really need to be reminded and this is one way that it can be done,” said Mantione.
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