VALDOSTA — A trumpet concerto honoring the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King has a world premiere here this weekend.

The Valdosta Symphony Orchestra presents the world premiere of composer James Charles Oliverio’s “Trumpet Concerto No. 1: World House.”

In addition to the world premiere, the VSO presents classical selections featuring dance choreography.

“The National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C., funded a proposal to create a symphonic Trumpet Concerto to honor the life’s work of Dr. Martin Luther King,” Oliverio said. “Of the five American orchestras that sent their support, Valdosta was chosen as the location for the world premiere this coming Saturday, Feb. 13.”

The concerto’s premise is based on King’s idea of the “World House,” where he wrote of a list of suggested plots found among a dead novelist’s story ideas. The novelist underscored one plot in particular.

“A widely separated family inherits a house in which they have to live together. This is the great new problem of mankind,” King wrote. “We have inherited a large house, a great ‘world house in which we have to live together — black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Moslem and Hindu — a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace.”

Oliverio researched his concerto at King’s alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta. As a result of his work, the MLK Papers Collection and the Morehouse College Music Department are part of the collaboration behind the world premiere.

Dr. Vicki Crawford, King Papers Collection director, will join Oliverio in visiting Valdosta this weekend. She will be in town to discuss “the unique collection of Dr. King’s work, but also his values and the importance of his legacy in the 21st century,” according to a statement.

Crawford and Oliverio will also discuss the civic and music collaboration behind the World House project. Following the Valdosta premiere, there are plans for the concerto to be performed throughout the nation.

“In addition to the orchestral score, the composer created ‘Songs from the World House’ weaving several of the concerto’s melodies woven into three short songs,” according to a statement. “The ‘Songs’ are meant to go out into the community, to schools, churches and civic groups ahead of time in cities where the symphony will be performed as a way of promoting awareness and engagement with Dr. King’s legacy, his ‘World House’ concept, and subsequent participation in the orchestral concert event.”

Oliverio is executive director of Digital Worlds Institute at the University of Florida. He is an internationally renowned composer, who has won five Emmy awards for movie scores.

His colleague, Randolph Lee, a new University of Florida trumpet professor, is scheduled to perform the “World House” concerto, said Howard Hsu, the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra conductor.

The VSO will also perform selections from Minkus’ “Don Quixote,” Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” and Delibes’ “Coppelia.” Dancers will perform during these selections. The selections feature Carla Amancio, Fhilipe Teixeira, and Andre Valadao from Dance Alive and the Valdosta State University Repertory Dancers.

SHOWTIME

What: Valdosta Symphony Orchestra presents “Casual Classics.”

When: 8 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Whitehead Auditorium, Valdosta State University Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood.

More information: Visit valdostasymphony.org.