In a musical tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., the B&O Railroad Museum will host a free Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concert next Monday evening as part of the museum’s programming on the Underground Railroad and the BSO’s “Symphony in the City” series.
The MLK Day event, scheduled for 7 p.m. in the 1884 B&O Roundhouse, “promises an unprecedented fusion of history and music,” according to a news release. It will include the world premiere of a song by Baltimore artist Wordsmith, commissioned by the BSO, titled “Network to Freedom.”
It’s a work that West Baltimore’s Anthony Parker — the songwriter, recording artist, poet, playwright, actor and philanthropist known as Wordsmith — said dives into the very human history of the Underground Railroad and of “American railroading” in Baltimore and beyond.
“I tried to really take all of my different formats that I love, the different genres that I love, to create this piece,” Wordsmith, 43, told The Baltimore Sun. “The B&O Railroad, they uncovered … several different stories from slaves that passed through the B&O. Part of what I’m doing in this piece is retelling these stories, but in music format.”
“Network to Freedom” consists of three movements and incorporates spoken word and narration by Wordsmith, in addition to the orchestral composition and choral arrangements.
To flesh out the composition of the piece — which he started writing midway through 2023 and finished only recently — he teamed up with Nashville, Tennessee, composer Don Hart.
“You’re telling tales of slaves who are literally in the fetal position in cargo boxes, traveling for days like that,” Wordsmith said. “It just shows you … the willpower as human beings we have. Being Black during that time when you were a slave, you were willing to do anything to seek your freedom. So these stories are also to show perseverance.”
The approximately 18-minute-long song will be recorded live during the MLK Day performance, he said, opening up the possibility of it being included in a museum exhibit in the future.
Baltimore’s B&O Railroad Museum has been designated as a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site since 2021 and unveiled “The Underground Railroad: Freedom Seekers on the B&O Railroad” — a permanent exhibit that served as Wordsmith’s inspiration — in 2022.
“We could not be more honored to have our exhibit be the inspiration for Wordsmith’s original song and to have it debuted as tribute to Dr. King’s message of equality and unity,” Kris Hoellen, executive director of the B&O Railroad Museum, said in a news release. “This will be a truly moving experience not to be missed.”
The BSO’s performance will be conducted by Jeri Lynne Johnson and will spotlight “selections by prominent Black composers” including Florence Price, Duke Ellington and Carlos Simon, according to the news release.
The program will include Simon’s “The Block,” the third movement of Ellington’s “Three Black Kings” and a selection of movements from other works, along with Wordsmith’s “Network to Freedom.”
Wordsmith will perform in the company of soprano vocalists Nazarene Maloney and Samone Scriber; mezzo-soprano vocalists Asia Haynie and Jaillah Wehye; tenors Oguchi Ebunine and Darrin Scott; baritone vocalist Dorian Forbes; and bass vocalist Cameron Potts.
“Attendees can expect an immersive experience as Wordsmith, together with the BSO, explores the beginnings of American Railroading, its impact during the Civil War, and the roots of the Underground Railroad,” Whitney Clemmons Brown, the BSO’s director of communications, told The Sun via email.
“The significance of the BSO playing at the B&O Railroad Museum for MLK Jr. Day lies in the intersection of cultural celebration and reflection, and artistic expression,” Brown said. “Performing at the museum on such a significant day provides us with the opportunity to pay homage to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the ongoing pursuit of civil rights.”
For Wordsmith, who is an artistic partner with the BSO, the event represents a fresh opportunity to continue making his mark on history and on his community.
“I really care about my culture and telling our story the right way,” he said. “I look at myself as a teacher through my music.”