Are you looking for some fun last-minute ways to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on your day off?
Jordin Sparks headlines the Kennedy Center’s “Let Freedom Ring Celebration” on Monday evening in the nation’s capital.
A free ticket giveaway begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Hall of Nations with a limit of two tickets per person before the performance kicks off in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall at 6 p.m.
Sparks rose to fame by winning Season 6 of “American Idol” in 2007 with the coronation song “This Is My Now” before recording the smash radio hits “Tattoo,” “Battlefield” and the Grammy-nominated “No Air.” She also starred in the Broadway musical “In the Heights” (2010) and played the lead in the movie musical “Sparkle” (2012).
Sparks will perform alongside Nolan Williams, Jr., who will premiere his original piece “Rise Up and Fight,” a civic anthem composed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer.
The lineup also includes Cécile McLorin Salvant, Sullivan Joseph Fortner, Jr., Anna Deavere Smith, Rodrick Dixon, Rayshun LaMarr, Benjamin H. Moore and John Riddle.
The event is part of the Kennedy Center’s ongoing Millennium Stage performance series.
Georgetown University will also present the annual John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award to Reginald L. Douglas, Artistic Director of Mosaic Theater Company of D.C. The award is given to a local individual who exemplifies the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.
