Wynton Marsalis To Headline Performance In Remembrance Of Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial

Legendary jazz musician and composer Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will lead a performance of his epic blues suite, "All Rise (Symphony No. 1)" at 3 p.m. June 6 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, alongside the Tulsa Symphony and Festival Chorus and produced in alliance with the Tulsa Race Massacre Commission.

David Robertson will conduct the performance, and Damien L. Sneed will lead the chorus.

"When I was writing 'All Rise,' Kurt Masur, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, told me, 'The line between civilization and barbarism is much thinner than you think.' That’s why with everything that you do, you have to decry barbarism and the reduction of people." Marsalis said.

"We are so grateful to have Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz in Tulsa for the Centennial. Processing tragedy and trauma is complex. For me, music has always been an emotional outlet, and I hope this experience provides just that to Tulsans during this important week of remembrance, resilience and hope," said 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission project director Phil Armstrong.

"All Rise (Symphony No. 1)" was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and first performed at the Lincoln Center in 1999.