The Gunnery Commemorates The Life Of

Martin Luther King, Jr

WASHINGTON — For the second consecutive year, The Gunnery invites the community to join in commemorating the life and legacy of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s event will be held on Monday, January 17, at 7 pm, in the First Congregational Church Meeting House on the Green. Gunnery students and faculty will join guest artists including the Peace is Possible Chorus and acclaimed musician Fre Atlast to produce a multifaceted program of song, music, art, and story-telling. Victoria Christgau, the organizer of the program, is the founder of the Sound Body Production Company, which has produced events in Litchfield County honoring Dr King for the past 14 years.

The Peace is Possible Chorus, founded and directed by Ms Christgau, is a multicultural, multigenerational group performing original and traditional music from around the world. The chorus has performed at the United Nations, the International Day of Peace in Central Park, The Great Hudson Clearwater River Festival and The Amenia World Peace Festival. Ms Atlast, assistant director of the chorus, is a drummer, songwriter, multimedia artist, and teacher. She is currently the musical director of The Elders Drum Project, a multimedia holistic, therapeutic musical program conducted in nursing homes.

Other guest artists include musician and storyteller Caru Thomson of Brooklyn. Students from Litchfield Montessori School will reenact the story of Ruby Bridges, a young African American who desegregated an elementary school. Composer and bassist Mario Pavone will perform with jazz students from The New School and SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory: Lakecia Benjamin on saxophone, Adam Christgau on drums, and Charenne Wade on vocals. Gunnery students will read from the letters of their school’s founder, Frederick Gunn. Mr Gunn was an ardent abolitionist and member of the Underground Railroad who wrote about the education of freed slaves.

The public is invited to intend. Admission is free. For more information, call 860-868-7334, ext 251.