Everyone is just a little slow putting out their January events calendars this year, but we were able to dig up a few highlights for the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration.
• One of the city’s longest-standing MLK Day traditions is the annual free concert presented at Severance Hall at 7:00 on the Sunday evening before the holiday (that would be January 19). This year, Franz Welser-Möst is scheduled to conduct; the program has not yet been announced. Although free, tickets are required. Call 216-231-7300 for ticket distribution information.
• If you can’t make it to the concert but still want to take in some fine music and the splendor of Severance Hall, the Orchestra will host an Open House on Monday, January 20 from 1 - 5 pm.
• On a similar note, Playhouse Square will also present a free event for which you’ll need to acquire tickets in advance. Savion Glover and the cast of Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk will present a special performance created justfor Cleveland. Curtain time is 2 pm on Monday, January 20 at the State Theater. The free tickets are limited to two per customer, and are available at Tops Friendly Market tickets.com outlets and at the Playhouse Square box office.
• As they have done for the last several years, area museums will be offering free admission on the holiday. Typically, the Cleveland Museum of Art has offered the most exciting variety of family activities, and this year promises to be no exception. Multi-cultural storytelling in the galleries, an Egyptian collar crafting workshop, and strolling performers and puppeteers will be ongoing between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm. And the centerpiece of the celebration will be a 1 pm performance of the Greater Cleveland Choral Chapter, the area’s most highly-acclaimed gospel choir.
As more details of holiday events are released, we’ll update this list on www.mamasays.org Click on “This Month’s Events,” to view the calendar.