Community Engagement:

Highlights: Our 2021 MLK Celebration

We loved welcoming the community—either in person in socially distant boxes, or virtually—to three unique events last weekend. Take a look:


The Jazz Orchestra at Dr. Phillips Center
Let Freedom Ring: Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement
Presented by Fifth Third Bank

More than 400 people spent a memorable evening with the 17-member Jazz Orchestra at Dr. Phillips Center and two spoken word artists. The orchestra performed iconic works by Marvin Gaye, Charlie Bird Parker and Nina Simone that surrounded Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement.

The Jazz Orchestra at Dr. Phillips Center is made possible through the generous support of Joyce and Judson Green.


MLK Holiday Parade Showcase
Presented by the Southwest Orlando Junior Chamber & the Orlando Mayor’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission

Almost 700 of our neighbors enjoyed our safely reimagined version of an Orlando tradition. The free event featured performances by more than 200 people—including the Dr. Phillips Center Four Counts, supported by AdventHealth, Dynamic Fusion Dance, Three Masks, Just Dance Too, Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda, Inez Patricia School of Dance, Vivid Eye, Standing Ovation and YBA (Young Blacks in Action).


Virtual Interfaith Service: Love & Power
Presented by the Orlando Mayor’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission

We hosted this free livestream out at our Frontyard Festival™. It creatively brought together voices, sounds and images from a diverse group of faith traditions, cultures and world views—all celebrating Dr. King’s vision of “a beloved community.”


Join Us: MLK Event on February 20

RSVP now for Through Unity, We Shall Overcome on Saturday, February 20 at 7 p.m.

It’s performed by a community choir that’s directed and produced by Grammy Award–winning music educator Dr. Jeffery Redding. The world-renowned Aeolians Chorus from Oakwood University will return for this year’s free event—which features diverse local vocalists who come together in perfect harmony.

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