Henry Panion, third from left, and the Blind Boys of AlabamaThe Boston Pops will perform four orchestral arrangements by University of Alabama at Birmingham University Professor Henry Panion III, Ph.D., for a show with the Blind Boys of Alabama on Saturday, June 6, at Symphony Hall in Boston.
The Houston Symphony Orchestra commissioned the works “People Get Ready,” “This May Be the Last Time,” “Amazing Grace” and “If I Had a Hammer.” Conductor Charles Floyd will lead this concert with the Boston Pops.
Panion teaches music theory and technology in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music. He has led a number of the country’s leading orchestras with the Blind Boys in his arrangements, including the Houston Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Atlanta Symphony and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
Most recently, the Blind Boys were featured with Panion and orchestra in BET’s Centric Salute to Selma for a crowd of an estimated 100,000 people, in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma.
The Blind Boys of Alabama are recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music. Nearly 75 years after they hit their first notes together, the Blind Boys of Alabama are exceptional, not only in their longevity, but also in the breadth of their catalog and their relevance to contemporary roots music. Since 2000, they have won five Grammy Awards and four Gospel Music Awards, and have delivered their spiritual message to countless listeners.