Montana State University will host Opera Montana for a performance and discussion of its musical “Ragtime” on Tuesday, January 20, as part of the university’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations. The event is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Strand Union Building, Ballroom A, and is open to the public at no cost. Light refreshments will be served, and registration is not required.
The program will feature select songs from Opera Montana’s production of “Ragtime,” which tells the story of three families pursuing the American dream in early 20th century New York. Following the performance, artistic director Michael Sakir and principal artists Kateena Bell and Jim Williams will lead a discussion about how themes such as identity, belonging, and social change in “Ragtime” relate to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. King played a central role in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s.
Sophia Bielsky, director of MSU’s Student Commons, said: “Dr. King showed us that social change exists beyond theory and conceptual conversations. It is a practice rooted in our daily lives and shared stories, and ‘Ragtime embodies that legacy.”
