"Songs of Liberation" by MLK Community Choir SD w/Guest Marshall Voit

The repertoire of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Choir San Diego is primarily gospel, both traditional and contemporary. Unlike traditional gospel choirs, we include a part for bass and baritone. The choir is also proficient in Negro spirituals, anthems, and oratorios. With the exception of classical pieces and some Negro spiritual arrangements, the music is taught by rote, after the oral tradition from which the music comes. Participants are non-auditioned, needing only to be able to sing in tune. Some vocal training is provided and some coaching for those who don’t read music. Our purpose is to raise funds through a series of concerts for educational grants that we distribute to aspiring college-bound high school majors in Visual and Performing Arts from the San Diego County area.

The Choir will be joined by First UU San Diego music director Marshall Voit, who has spent 20 years studying and performing music for social justice and social change. Marshall will open the concert with a program of freedom and justice songs that he’s collected during that time, including protest music classics, original compositions, and lesser known but equally moving songs for social change.