DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Promo Video Released

Fifth Stream Music is proud to announce the release of our latest video highlighting the premiere of DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE at the 2018 San Francisco International Arts Festival. This short video takes you through the background and premiere performance featuring Dr. Angela Davis, Janice Mirikitani, the Asian American Orchestra and Voices of a Dream vocal ensemble.

On April 4, 1967, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr delivered his most controversial speech, “Beyond Vietnam—A Time to Break Silence” at the Riverside Church in New York City. King declared a strong antiwar stance questioning the nation’s military role and morality in Vietnam. This was deemed unpatriotic; he was vilified in the media and mainstream America. Even fellow civil rights leaders turned against him. One year later to the day, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.

Brown and Davis honor King’s words from this speech, “A time comes when silence is betrayal,” with this vocal, multi-movement jazz work. DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE inspires Americans to take a look at some of the issues Dr. King confronted that are still manifest within today’s society.

Our dream is to play this piece in front of audiences to inspire social justice and social change.