Musician and spoken-word artist Wordsmith will debut a composition with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Photo by Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun.
In Monday’s (1/8) Baltimore Sun, Abigail Gruskin writes, “In a musical tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., the B&O Railroad Museum will host a free Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concert next Monday evening as part of the museum’s programming on the Underground Railroad and the BSO’s ‘Symphony in the City’ series. The MLK Day event, scheduled for 7 p.m. in the 1884 B&O Roundhouse … will include the world premiere of a song by Baltimore artist Wordsmith, commissioned by the BSO, titled ‘Network to Freedom.’ It’s a work that West Baltimore’s Anthony Parker—the songwriter, recording artist, poet, playwright … known as Wordsmith—said dives into the very human history of the Underground Railroad and of ‘American railroading’… ‘Network to Freedom’ consists of three movements and incorporates spoken word and narration by Wordsmith, in addition to the orchestral composition and choral arrangements. To flesh out the composition … he teamed up with Nashville, Tennessee, composer Don Hart…. Baltimore’s B&O Railroad Museum has been designated as a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site since 2021 … The BSO’s performance will be conducted by Jeri Lynne Johnson and will spotlight selections by prominent Black composers including Florence Price, Duke Ellington, and Carlos Simon.”
