RCSD Students Take the Stage with the RPO for MLK Day Concert

Who: Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) and conductor Herb Smith perform with student musicians from the School of the Arts Concert Choir and School No. 19’s Strings for Success Program

What: “I Have a Dream” – A special concert in the RPO’s OrKIDStra series celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

When: Sunday, January 18, 2026, 1–2 p.m., family activitiesSunday, January 18, 2026, 2–3 p.m., concert

Where: Hochstein School of Music50 North Plymouth AvenueRochester, NY 14614

Details: Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a concert the whole family will remember. Conductor Herb Smith and the RPO will perform a powerful afternoon of music, narration, and storytelling that brings Dr. King’s legacy of hope, courage, and unity to life.

The RPO kicks off the program with a wide array of celebratory selections ranging from classical to spirituals to Broadway, including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s beloved Four Characteristic Waltzes IV. Valse Mauresque, and an excerpt of John Williams’ soaring Oscar-nominated score from director Steven Spielberg’s film Lincoln (2012). 

Then, two groups of student musicians from the Rochester City School District will take the stage to perform alongside the RPO:  

• The School of the Arts Concert Choir is comprised of vocal majors who recently earned a Gold rating at the prestigious WorldStrides New York City Festival.

• The Strings for Success Program, open to all students in grades 3–6 at Dr. Charles T. Lunsford School No. 19, is a free, inclusive, and innovative instrumental strings program that is a partnership between The Center for Youth and School 19, as well as one of RPO's partners in OPUS (Orchestra Program for Urban Students).

Students will perform selections highlighting both individual and ensemble talent. The School of the Arts Concert Choir will perform Make Them Hear You from Ragtime (Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Arr. Mark Hayes), while Strings for Success will perform O Come, Little Children (Johann Abraham Peter Schulz, Arr. John Gabriele).