We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day this afternoon on The Classical Network.

The much-anticipated centerpiece of today’s program, for me anyway, will be “New Morning for the World: Daybreak of Freedom,” by Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph Schwantner. It’s an inspiring piece, built on texts drawn from King’s speeches, and I look forward to sharing it with my listeners every year.

So far there have been three recordings of the work. I have cycled through all of them, but the one that remains my favorite is its first, featuring narration by former Pittsburgh Pirate Willie Stargell. It’s hard to believe that Stargell, beloved by so many, was himself subjected to discrimination and harassment over the course of his career. It makes you realize how short history is. And if we follow the news, it’s evident the struggle for peace, tolerance and equality is not over.

Stargell appears with the Eastman Philharmonia as he did at the world premiere, which took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on January 15, 1983 (King’s birthday).

Sadly, the recording has never been issued on compact disc, but we’ll hear it today, provided the turntable is in good working order. (If not, I’ll have a back-up ready to go, just in case).

We’ll also hear “Epitaph for a Man Who Dreamed,” by Adolphus Hailstork – whose knockout oratorio, “Done Made My Vow,” was the featured work on last night’s edition of “The Lost Chord” – and selections from Dashon Burton, Bass-Baritone’s album, “Songs of Struggle & Redemption: We Shall Overcome.”

In addition, as time allows, we’ll mark the anniversary of the births of as many of the following as we can: Johann Hermann Schein, Joseph Hector Fiocco, Ernest Chausson, Guillaume Lekeu, Mischa Elman, Walter Piston, Alexander Tcherepnin, Yvonne Loriod, and Ivan Fischer.

We judge a man not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his music, from 4 to 7 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

By the way, if you have off from work today, consider taking a break from your community service to support kids from thirteen Trenton schools. Young musicians of Trenton Music Makers will convene at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, 122 Alexander St., this afternoon at 5:30 p.m., for its annual Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day concert. You can learn more and register for this free event at trentonmusicmakers.org.