Halalisa Singers present 'Up to the Mountain'

Artistic Director Mary Cunningham leads the Halalisa Singers in Up to the Mountain, a concert to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Joining the chorus for the Saturday concert will be high school vocalists of the Boston City Singers. Accompanying the singers will be pianist Trevor Berens, percussionist Bertram Lehmann, clarinetist Glenn Dickson, and bassist Rick McLaughlin. Performance on Saturday, January 18 at 8 p.m. at First Parish Arlington, 630 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington. Performance on Sunday, January 19 at 3 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading, 239 Woburn St., Reading. Admission for each concert is $20. For information and tickets call 781-648-5579 or visit http://www.halalisa.org/concerts.

Up to the Mountain features music embracing Martin Luther King Jr.’s themes of equality and inclusion, including uplifting gospel numbers and spirituals. In the Kirby Shaw arrangement of “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” by Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas, the chorus sings of freedom and speaking the truth. The women offer a stirring rendition of “I’m on My Way,” the traditional spiritual made famous by Mahalia Jackson, heard here in an arrangement by Anthony Trecek-King. The men of Halalisa bring the house down with a powerful version of “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel.”

Nick Page’s arrangement of “Gonna Get Through This World” by Woody Guthrie and Lisa Gutkin is inspired by the Klezmatics reworking of the song and features robust choral singing, klezmer clarinet, and a niggun. “We Are One” is an inspiring full choral piece written by beloved contemporary choral composer Brian Tate. MLK-inspired songs written by contemporary pop and folk musicians include James Taylor’s “Shed a Little Light” (arranged by Greg Jasperse), which begins with the lyric, “Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King” and proceeds with spirited thoughtfulness. Patty Griffin’s moving “Up to the Mountain” (arranged by Mac Huff) is a gospel folk song based on King’s famous “Up to the Mountain” speech, with the chorus accompanying a soaring lead soloist.

International music on the program includes “Ani Ma’amin (I Believe),” a traditional Jewish tune arranged by John Leavitt. The song gained heartbreakingly tragic significance during the Holocaust, when thousands of Jews sang it as they marched to their deaths. The rhythmic, exciting “Baby Yetu” is a Swahili adaptation of The Lord’s Prayer by Chris Kiagiri, set to music by Christopher Tin. The sultry, gorgeous “Gracias a la Vida” by Chilean artist and songwriter Violeta Parra, created as part of the political folk movement nueva cancion, finds joy amidst struggle and hardship. “Graduation Song,” with music by Andrew-John Bethke and words by Simthembile Xekatwana is sung in three African languages and a bit of Latin, and contains the name of the chorus, Halalisa, the Zulu word for celebration. “Tsunangari” by Kentaro Sato was written for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Its gentle melodies and sublime harmonies provide an emotionally resonant container for Japanese lyrics about truth, hardship, homeland, and connection.