Sen. Braun to narrate Jan. 29 Black History Month concert

The University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra's midwinter concert, presented in honor of Black History Month, will feature Joseph Schwantner's "New Morning for the World: 'Daybreak of Freedom' " for narrator and symphony orchestra. The program will also include Joan Tower's "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman" and Antonin Dvorak's celebrated Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, "From the New World."

Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (J.D.'72), will be the special guest narrator for "New Morning for the World," a 20-minute composition that sets to music selections from five speeches given by Martin Luther King Jr. between 1958 and 1965. Braun, D-Ill., a senator since 1993, is the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

Barbara Schubert, Music Director of the University Symphony Orchestra, will conduct the performance. Student string players from the Hyde Park Youth Symphony, Hyde Park Career Academy and Kenwood Academy will join the orchestra for the last movement of the Dvorak symphony.

The concert will be presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, in Mandel Hall. Admission is free, but donations of $5 ($3 for students and children) will be requested at the door. People with disabilities may call ahead to request assistance. For more information, call the Music Department at 702-8484.