"A King Celebration" features outstanding works by African-American composers and performers. Below is a list of artists featured in this year's program. Refer to the concerts page for details on the on air and live performances.

William Levi Dawson
James P. Johnson
Aaron Copland
Blind Tom

Aaron Copland:
Arguably America's greatest composer, Aaron Copland was born in 1900. We'll celebrate his centennial year [born in 1900] with his stirring tribute to Abraham Lincoln, narrated by S. Epatha Merkerson.

William Levi Dawson:
One of the first African- Americans to write a full-length symphony, [Negro Folk Symphony - 1937] originally conducted by Leopold Stowkowski of the Philadelphia Orchestra -- and we'll hear it conducted in Atlanta by Andre Raphel Smith, the assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra -- and one of the most notable young African-American conductors in the nation. We'll also hear a couple of Dawson's celebrated spiritual arrangements performed by the Morehouse and Spelman glee clubs.

James P. Johnson:
A great crossover artist before the term was invented -- stride piano, dance music, symphonic idiom, of which we'll hear "Drums"

Blind Tom:
A Georgia slave, he was one of the most famous, controversial, and highly paid pianists of the mid to late 19th century. Blind Tom saw almost none of his earnings (reputedly $10,000 per year before the Civil War) as he was under the control of his original owner's family until 1908. Unfortunately, his reputation was tarnished for a number of reasons: he suffered from the well-worn racial stereotypes of the era; he was promoted in sensational, P.T. Barnum style, due in part to his eccentric stage behavior; and he was dubiously diagnosed as an idiot savant. John Davis, one of today's most respected pianists, has brought Blind Tom's music back to concert halls and will perform a recital in Atlanta on Thursday, January 13 as part of King Week. Portions of this concert will air on the Friday, January 14 edition of NPR's Performance Today.