TicketsEAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University College of Music will present its annual Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest Concert on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, at 3 p.m. in Fairchild Theatre. The concert is free and open to the public, with tickets required for admission.
Presented as part of MSU’s university-wide Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance, this year’s concert centers on the theme “Justice for All: A Legacy of Courage and Commitment.” The program highlights jazz’s long-standing role as a means of expression, reflection, and advocacy for social change.
Featuring the MSU Jazz Orchestras and jazz voice students of artist-faculty member Carmen Bradford, the concert brings together spirituals and expressive jazz works that reflect enduring messages of hope and justice. Through music rooted in tradition and shaped by lived experience, the program honors the values at the heart of Dr. King’s legacy.
Program highlights include select works by influential composers whose music speaks directly to struggle, resilience, and the pursuit of justice. The concert draws from traditional African American spirituals, landmark jazz works by Charles Mingus and Max Roach, and enduring selections by Duke Ellington. Additional works by Oliver Nelson, Pat Metheny, and Donny Hathaway, alongside well-known standards by Rodgers and Hammerstein and classic jazz repertoire by Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael, round out the program.
The concert is generously sponsored by Pat and Mary McPharlin, with special thanks to the MSU Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact for supporting this event and related educational opportunities and activities across campus.
Ticket information: The event is free, but tickets are required for admission. Tickets are available over the phone at 517-353-5340 or for pick-up from the College of Music Main Office, Room 102 of the Music Building, 333 W. Circle Drive, East Lansing, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Remaining tickets will be made available at the door. Please note that unclaimed will-call tickets will be released 10 minutes before the event.
Information on this and other concerts, recitals, and performances can be found at music.msu.edu/events.
