Elmira, NY (WENY) – 2019 marks the 35th anniversary of Martin Luther King Day and one professional artist kicked off his 36 city musical tour paying tribute to the Civil Rights Activist right here in the Empire State.

Damien Sneed stopped and performed at the Clemens Center for his "We shall Overcome" tour. The Clemens Center was the 2nd stop on Sneed's 36 North American City Tour. Sneed is a pianist, organist, conductor and arts educator whose work spans multiple genres.

“We are trying to portray a message of unity and hope to encourage people. Encourage all of the viewers and listeners, people that attend the performance..using the message from Martin Luther King's speech. We shall overcome not just racial injustices and differences based on the color of our skin and our culture, but anything in life that may be difficult that everyone can actually identify with,” said Sneed.

The recording artist calls it an absolute honor to use his music to celebrate Doctor King.

“It's a dream come true. I grew up in Augusta Georgia, so i grew up knowing all about Martin Luther King and his family, to visiting his birth home in Atlanta, and the baptist church where his father was once the pastor and where he pastored also; so it's great to go and do a celebration, using music to celebrate someone with such a great legacy,” said Sneed.

On Sunday, the Sneed and his group will continue the tour with another performance in Toronto, Canada.