Latest: No classical artists booked for Biden inauguration

Latest: No classical artists booked for Biden inauguration

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norman lebrecht

January 14, 2021

Hollywood is buzzing with news that the Biden-Kamala administration has booked Jennifer Lopez to serenade their swearing-in.

Also on the platform will be Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi and Ant Clemons.

Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem.

No classical artists have been named, yet.


Barack Obama had the best of the best in 2009.

Comments

  • christopher storey says:

    It will be interesting to see how many of them show up, given the potential for real trouble

    • Dave T says:

      Trouble will be kept very much at bay. Security will be so buttoned down that you won’t be able to sneeze without scrambling a few fighter planes.

    • Wannaplayguitar says:

      Some ‘enlightened’ cities use recorded classical music to disperse persistent loiterers, vandals, hoodlums and similar. Maybe Biden should take note that classical music could effectively be used alongside the military as an deterrent in the upcoming inauguration.

  • yujafan says:

    Well, at least Lola is no longer flavour of the month, but her residency in Trump Tower might well be starting soon

    • William Safford says:

      As a staff pianist? She’d better watch out: the Orange Enemy of the People is notorious for not paying his bills.

    • Save the MET says:

      He won’t be able to afford her after the lawsuits, judgments, settlements, fines, back taxes and loans coming due, not to mention legal fees. His New
      York City hotel and golf resorts failing, all NYC contracts severed, suppliers running for the hills, no bank to finance new projects, Lola is beyond him.

  • PHF says:

    Just a matter of taste… who cares abou the president? The people is away from the concert halls, that should be concerning. This is a mere reflection of how unimportant we’re getting. Jennifer Lopez… blah…

    • Curvy Honk Glove says:

      Who cares about the president?! Am I reading that correctly? The whole point is that orange man and trumptards have been ruining everything for us, and now you’re saying it doesn’t matter??? The world has fallen apart all because of team red and their inbred incompetence, and now it just doesn’t matter? I don’t understand. Who’s to blame, then?

      • PHF says:

        The context is obvious, but: Who cares about the president TASTE AND CHOICE OF REPERTOIRE FOR AN INSIGNIFICANT OCASION.

      • BruceB says:

        I thought PHF’s comment was about the president’s taste in music; no doubt I am wrong.

      • Sue Sonata Form says:

        Your opposition to Trump and his voters over 4 long years has rendered you every bit as terrible in terms of this behaviour. You became a mirror image of that which you hated. I wish Shakespeare was still alive!! There are zero ‘goodies’ in any of this. Zero.

      • J Barcelo says:

        Get a grip. He didn’t ruin everything. Where I live life is pretty normal really. Crap hole cities like NY, Portland, Kenosha, Minneapolis, LA et al are all run by liberal Democrats. They’re the ones who ruined things.

      • Elliott says:

        Well said!

    • Save the MET says:

      Trump did not do a single thing in office to promote the arts save having Lola Astanova play on the White House grounds. It was an administration devoid of the humanities. He wouldn’t even attend a Kennedy Center Awards event. I would expect that will change with this President after he figures out a better way to vaccinate the country so we can attend concerts etc. once again.

  • Curvy Honk Glove says:

    WHAT?! How can this be? Here in the US, team blue is the champion of the intellectual and cultural elite as well as being a constant and steadfast supporter of the Anglo-European arts. To listen to my colleagues you, would believe that the Biden/Harris administration is the answer to classical musicians’ prayers everywhere with the inbred, red-neck red-team being shown the door (hopefully for good). This is sure to be a simple scheduling mix-up, and we’ll see the NSO sawing away on stage come inauguration day. Yup, team blue will fix everything.

    • Hayne says:

      I hear the NSO will get a large donation from the Depend corporation now that they’ll be sponsored by Biden:)

    • William Safford says:

      Here’s an analogy.

      You’re a dog lover. You have a nice, friendly, quiet, well-behaved dog. Your neighbor shoots your dog in your back yard. Your neighbor is arrested, and moves away.

      You have a new neighbor. Your dog recovered, and is still nice and well behaved. Your new neighbor ignores your dog. He doesn’t have a pet and doesn’t seem to interact with pets very often. However, he’s civic-minded, so he helped keep the local ASPCA chapter open when others threatened to close it. Maybe he donates a few dollars to it from time to time.

      Is this new neighbor an improvement over the previous one?

      • Hayne says:

        You’re a dog lover. You have a nice friendly, quiet, well-behaved dog. Your neighbor shoots your dog in your back yard. Your neighbor is arrested, and moves away.
        You have a new neighbor. Your dog recovered and is still nice and well behaved. Your new neighbor ignores your dog. He doesn’t have a pet and doesn’t seem to interact with pets very often. Actually he hates dogs. He runs for mayor of the town and enacts laws to euthanize all dogs. He also enacts laws to fine or imprison people caught with dogs.
        Is this new neighbor an improvement over the previous one?
        Your “analogy” is silly.

        • William Safford says:

          You fail at reading comprehension. You fail with your twisted analogy.

          Then again, you have a major problem with facts, so that’s no surprise.

          My analogy is right on the mark.

          Republicans have been gunning for Federal subsidies of the arts for decades now. They have succeeded at shrinking Federal programs, which are minuscule compared to what they were fifty years ago.

          Biden did exactly what I wrote: he helped protect the NEA and other Federal programs from being completely dismantled. This is documented.

          Biden doesn’t seem to be much interested in going to classical music concerts. *shrug*

    • Sue Sonata Form says:

      You have swallowed mass propaganda, that’s all.

    • Basso Continuoso says:

      The cultural elite don’t listen to classical music. Except maybe opera.

  • Mr. Knowitall says:

    Biden-Harris not Biden-Kamala.

  • Brian says:

    With a deadly pandemic still raging across the country, the fewer people in person the better. Even if J-Lo is presumably tested beforehand, it sends the wrong message to have hordes of performers on hand.

  • anon says:

    The Met orchestra and chorus are available, to do The Messiah.

    • EU person says:

      So sad that Mr Biden doesnt want to support Met musicians…

      • Hayne says:

        Biden doesn’t even know where he is. Should read, “So sad Biden’s handlers don’t want to support Met musicians…”

        • Larry D says:

          You should get together with Karl and pool your cheap off-base insults. You two stable geniuses would make a great team. With all the best words.

          • Hayne says:

            It’s different now that the shoe is on the other foot, isn’t it:)

          • Hayne says:

            Anyone who disagrees with the left is tarred and feathered with innumerable insults. That’s ok. Sure bud.
            BTW, you really can’t recognize Biden’s obvious dementia?

          • William Safford says:

            Many who disagree with the right wing receive death threats. The Republican Members of Congress who voted for impeachment are learning this fact first hand.

            Right wingers killed a police officer when they invaded the U.S. Capitol, and injured many others. They threatened the lives of Congress and the Vice President. They chanted “Hang Mike Pence!”

            This is what you support.

      • Mick the Knife says:

        Biden would say he has never MET any musicians so the question is moot.

  • EU person says:

    Many american opera singers voted for Biden… Dont you think is is big mistake, guys?

  • Pianofortissimo says:

    The Dude?

  • Music fan says:

    The United States is in crisis. This is going to be the most bare-bones inauguration since FDR’s 4th in 1945. No crowds, no inaugural parties. With the chaos happening in the USA, from a resurgent pandemic to riots to attempted insurrection, does anyone seriously believe classical musicians are worrying about representation at the inaugural?

  • Petros Linardos says:

    A clear majority of us will be extremely relieved to turn the page nonetheless.

    • E Rand says:

      clearly majority not. We are pretty evenly split.

      • Petros Linardos says:

        Over time the US may be roughly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

        The split about Trump is not even close.

        Trump lost the pupolar vote by 4.4% in 2020 and by 2.1% in 2016.

        According to the 538 blog, Trump’s current approval rate is 39,8% and his disapproval rate is 56%. Throughout his term he has been the most unpopular president since at least Harry Truman.

        https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo

      • William Safford says:

        I’m curious to see how those numbers change, now that the Orange Enemy of the People incited right-wing neo-Nazis and KKK terrorists to insurrection and sedition, and thereby endangered the lives of Congress and the Vice President.

        If you’re right, then that says something truly terrifying about America.

        • E Rand says:

          Still waiting for you to clarify the sedition and insurrection. It’s fun to throw around words that CNN taught you, but you either don’t know what they mean, or don’t care. Obviously a symmetrical application would demand a large number of Democrats be impeached under that rubric, including Kamala and Joe.

          • Petros Linardos says:

            These are also the words of elected Republicans.

          • William Safford says:

            “Clarify the sedition and insurrection?”

            Really? Have you gone so far down the rabbit hole that you do not comprehend the importance of what happened last week?

            Just read the news. It’s not exactly a secret.

            The Orange Enemy of the People incited an attack on the entire U.S. Congress and the Vice President, as they were ceremoniously ratifying the vote that elected President-Elect Biden. He tweeted about it for months. He falsely claimed for months that he won the election. He set the date and time. He incited the crowd in person, including denouncing his Vice President for not violating the Constitution on his behalf. He exhorted them to march on the U.S. Capitol.

            His minions chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” and set up a noose, as they stormed and broke into the U.S. Capitol. They murdered several people. They brought zip-ties to restrain people. They smeared the walls with urine and feces. (I’m sure that DNA testing is being performed on that filth.)

            We live in a democracy. We do not pledge allegiance to an individual. But these people view the Orange Enemy of the People as their “God-Emperor.”

            This was an insurrection. It was seditious. And it was done by the right wing Republican followers of the Enemy of the People, at his behest.

          • Hayne says:

            Please do me a favor and keep up the great postings! They say a lot. No, really they do.

          • William Safford says:

            Hayne, please learn from the guidance that we are giving you: away from darkness towards the light.

            Let go of the hateful lies that you hold near and dear to you, and that you keep reposting and repeating.

            The events of January 6 show the danger posed by people who believe lies like you, who have a world view that is detached from reality, and who act upon it.

            You can become a better person. But only you can do it. We can only help.

  • Greg Bottini says:

    “NO CLASSICAL ARTISTS BOOKED FOR BIDEN INAUGURATION”
    So What?

  • Gustavo says:

    Ah, at last a confession!

    John Williams is one of “the best of the best”.

  • Alank says:

    Oh this much be a huge disappointment for Mr. Lebrecht who apparently believed that a progressive president will usher in a new era of cultural greatness at the White House! Only a seriously misinformed or deluded commentator would think that. As so often remarked upon on this website classical music is considered a symbol of white supremacy by much of the American left and a host of Academics.

    • E Rand says:

      exactly. And not just Mr. Lebrecht. All the leftist twits here…

    • Hayne says:

      Come on, man (a la Biden)! He lets people on all sides say their opinions. Their opinions are very illustrative of the left, no? That a lot of musicians are so left is because it is so easy and shallow. You don’t have to scratch the veneer. My opinion is too much time in the practice room (joke people). What they say does not imply it’s what he says. If so, who cares? He lets us opine also.
      How’d I do Uncle Norman:)

    • William Safford says:

      So, you support sedition and insurrection, right?

      • Hayne says:

        “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.”
        former CIA director William Casey

      • E Rand says:

        Still waiting for your exposition on what the seditious acts committed by the President. As far as the trash that stormed the Capitol, they merely did the same as the Left has done for years now. Remember when shrieking harridans stormed the Kavanaugh hearings? Or Leftists stormed state capitols like in Wisconsin? Or burned down federal buildings in Portland? All of this encouraged by low-iq demented democrats like Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi and idiot AOC.The Right, to my disappointment, but after 7 months of endless leftist rioting and destruction, did something remotely similar. (though DC, thank God, didn’t burn as it does when the Left riots). You wanna go down this road? I’m ready. But, do yourself a favor, escape your CNN/MSNBC silo and open your eyes. You may see that, unlike the Left, the Right has owned this disgrace and roundly criticized the mob (which was led by a large number of BLM’s in disguise).

    • William Safford says:

      Why yes, a progressive President is such a worse choice than an insurrectionist and twice-impeached lawbreaking President….

      As far as cultural greatness, Biden can completely ignore classical music, and still be a significant cultural improvement over his predecessor. Sad!

  • Hello Dolly says:

    What? There are other kinds of music besides classical music???!!!!???

    • E Rand says:

      yes. bad music.

    • Matias says:

      Missed the point. If this event is anything to go by, classical music doesn’t exist at all.

      Nobody has suggested it should be all classical.

      • Greg Bottini says:

        Perhaps, Matias (and others), Biden just doesn’t care for classical music.
        Again I ask – so what?
        Joe can have any music *he wants*. It’s *his* choice, not mine, yours, or idiots’ like E Rand.
        BTW, Lady Gaga is a brilliant performer, and if you missed her duet performance at the Oscar ceremonies a few seasons ago, you really missed something.

  • James Weiss says:

    Jessye Norman sang at Ronald Reagan’s 2nd inauguration. Now we get “Lady Gaga.” This is how low our culture has gotten.

  • T says:

    I suppose the “Presidents Own”, US Marine Band, will attend. Consisting mainly of classically trained musicians.

  • Mock Mahler says:

    Just as well–you wouldn’t be able to hear them over the huge collective sigh of relief.

    • E Rand says:

      ha! All the demoncraps are hiding at home. afraid of the corona virus and of the bam/antifa mobs they sicced on society all summer.

      • Larry D says:

        You mean the antifa mobs that rampaged through the Capitol carrying Trump flags?

        • E Rand says:

          Funny you should mention that. Turns out an BLM activist has just been arrested for disguising himself in MAGA gear and leading others into the capitol to cause destruction. Did CNN forget to tell you that today? Look up John Sullivan

          • William Safford says:

            “Sullivan filmed several encounters with Capitol Police officers, at times resisting being told to exit the building, declaring that he is just recording, and telling them that they are outnumbered by Trump supporters and should move aside.

            “In an interview with Rolling Stone published Wednesday, Sullivan said that many of the things he said on camera were a ruse to protect himself from the mob of Trump supporters in the building and to gain access to key vantage points for filming. He said that he willingly handed over any documentation he had to law enforcement.

            “The criminal complaint against Sullivan confirms that he voluntarily participated in an interview with the FBI the day after the insurrection at the Capitol and that he cooperated with handing over his footage.

            “The affidavit to support the criminal charges said that Sullivan identifies himself as an “activist and a journalist” but that he does not have any press credentials. The affidavit also notes that on July 13, local law enforcement in Provo, Utah charged Sullivan with rioting and criminal mischief related to a June 30 protest at which a civilian was shot and injured. The case is still pending.

            “Sullivan has repeatedly claimed that he was only at the Capitol to document and report.

            “‘He has admitted, however, that he has no press credentials and the investigation has not revealed any connection between Sullivan and any journalistic organizations,’ the affidavit reads.”

            (The Hill)

          • Greg Bottini says:

            MAGA = More Assholes Getting Arrested

        • William Safford says:

          Larry, a small correction: the insurrectionists were not antifa.

          They were right-wing fascist white supremacists and conspiracy dupes, carrying Confederate and other treasonous symbols. And Trump flags–but I repeat myself. They also had weapons, explosives, incendiaries, and restraints for taking hostages.

          Antifa — anti-fascists — oppose right-wing fascism and fascists.

          • William Safford says:

            To be even clearer for others reading this:

            Antifa had no role in perpetuating the attack on the U.S. Capitol and the attempt to kill or capture members of Congress and the Vice President.

            The Enemy of the People instigated it.

            Right wing white supremacist extremist groups did it.

            They plan more attacks in upcoming days.

  • MacroV says:

    Classical performers at something like this can’t be much more than tokenism. A 3-minute pop song is standard, a three-minute classical performance isn’t really worth the time. I wouldn’t sweat it.

  • Karl says:

    How about getting rapper Dr. Dre to preform his classic “F*** tha Police”? Or Mayhem Mal to sing his classic “F*** the Police”? Or “Cop Killer”?

    • Brettermeier says:

      “How about getting rapper Dr. Dre to preform his classic “F*** tha Police”? Or Mayhem Mal to sing his classic “F*** the Police”? Or “Cop Killer”?”

      I think that’s what the Trump guys had in mind when they stormed the capitol. That and – of course – “VP Killer”.

    • PaulD says:

      Those are the new classics of the Great American Song Book.

    • Dave T says:

      How about getting Karl and his fellow Trumpsters some new material?

      • Karl says:

        Slow Joe and Creepy Kamala will give us plenty of new material in the next few years. We survived the Obamanation and the Trumpacolypse. Now will we survive the Bidendofdays?

  • E Rand says:

    I love seeing this, after 4 years of hearing about how classless Trump was. I also love this as evidence for those who wish to end charitable tax deductions and have the gov handle arts funding. Do you realllllly think fed money will go to Haydn? Mozart? Schoenberg? HA! No. It will go to whomever the grievance academy has scolded/indoctrinated its captives to worship instead. Need I list the garbage here?

  • CurlyQ111 says:

    “The President’s Own” US Marine Band has musicians in it. And they take part. Along with the branches of military bands, many of which are in the process of recording their portion of the inaugural match.

    And as a musician that had played in 2 inaugurations, I think the honorable thing is to not put tons of people at risk when our country is not only in a sad state with the pandemic, but the potential dangers as well.

  • PaulD says:

    How about bringing back the surviving members of the Jefferson Airplane to do “Volunteers”? “Look what’s happening in our streets, got a revolution, got to revolution!”

  • Save the MET says:

    It would appear prudent to keep this inauguration perfunctory and less in this case after last week is more. With a soon to be former president who literally has to be managed so he doesn’t create a further problem and a pandemic which has killed over 4,000 people each day for the last 3 days, it seems prudent to keep this down to a dull roar. While there has been a tradition of caterwalling sopranos and at least one contralto (Ernestine Schumann-Heink) singing at these occasions, it is not unfair to have something different. As one previous individual said, the USMC Band will be performing the usual round of Sousa marches. Meanwhile the sad thing is that thousands of National Guard troops have had to be deployed complete with their weapons to keep any militant hillbillies at bay.

  • Violin Accordion says:

    ‘ YoYo Shreds (YouTube ) ?

  • JoshW says:

    You’d think that if he was going to go with pop music he’d at least have taken advice on getting some of the A-listers who campaigned for him. Demi Lovato – seriously?

  • JussiB says:

    I support President Trump but not the DC insurgents.
    MAGA!

    • William Safford says:

      The Orange Enemy of the People called his people to arms. They attacked Congress and the Vice President.

      Why didn’t you join them?

      • E Rand says:

        You obviously didn’t listen to or read a transcript of what Trump said. But, CNN fed you well, didn’t it? By the way, explain the sedition angle, could you? I’m going to enjoy watching you walk into the obvious buzzsaw of hypocrisy

        • Greg says:

          Exactly! I have watched his speech several times. The closest thing he said about “insurrection” referred to those gathered marching “peacefully and patriotically” to the Capitol. Even the FBI has now said that it appears this event was planned in advance and had nothing to do with Trump’s speech. That’s why Pelosi had to rush to impeachment. Couldn’t bother to wait for the truth to come out.

          • William Safford says:

            Guess who called for the January 6th insurrection months ago?

            The Orange Enemy of the People!

            Facts do not seem to interest you. Sad!

            Your support of fascism is truly unpatriotic.

        • William Safford says:

          We have been listening to the Orange Enemy of the People for years. We know all the dog whistles. We know all the incitements.

          You dissemble. He incites insurrection and sedition.

          You know it. I know it. You want to pretend otherwise, but deep down inside you really know that he’s guilty.

      • Greg says:

        Enjoying your Kool Aid, Mr. Safford?

    • voci78 says:

      For being a person with the moniker “JussiB”, after one of the world’s greatest (some say the absolute greatest) tenors, how can you possibly support drumpf? He has absolutely no support for the arts, or anyone but himself, is a total liar as has been proven so many times, and has allowed the advancement of Nazism in America. I simply (and I believe with many others) don’t understand this branch of thinking.

      • E Rand says:

        Sadly, Trump has no monopoly on lies. Biden is well set-up to compete on those grounds. And, believe it or not, neither dems or repubs impress me with their support for the arts. In fact, I shudder to think of the “arts” that would receive federal dollars in this woke stupid age. I prefer a government to get out of the way of the people’s prerogative to pursue happiness and fund arts, charitably, with their own money. This is why chamber musicians line up to tour the USA; they can actually make money here.

        • William Safford says:

          “And, believe it or not, neither dems or repubs impress me with their support for the arts.”

          On this we agree, in part.

          Even so, there is a difference.

          In general, Democrats don’t pay much attention to the arts.

          Republicans are openly hostile to the arts, and especially any kind of government support of the arts. They actively work to dismantle any public support of the arts. The Orange Enemy of the People is especially hostile.

          “I prefer a government to get out of the way of the people’s prerogative to pursue happiness and fund arts, charitably, with their own money. ”

          I disagree. One reason we do not have a vibrant classical music scene in the U.S. in the way that European countries do, is because of the dearth of government support in America vs. the support in Europe.

          You cite wanting people to use their own money. Whatever one may think of neoliberalism, part of the neoliberal compromise is that the government indirectly helps to fund the arts through tax deductions for charitable contributions.

          Part of the billionaire tax cuts by the Orange Enemy of the People eviscerated this. This shows yet another way in which the Orange One is hostile to the arts.

          Soon, we will be able to say that the Orange One *was* hostile to the arts, and so much more, once he is out of office. That will be a very good indeed–as long as the right-wing white supremacist fascists don’t attempt an assault or assassination.

      • JussiB says:

        By your faulty logic, are you going to shun Wagner because Germany’s National Socialist Party utilized his music to glorify their evil cause? Bjorling was the greatest tenor who ever lived and too smart to fall for that leftist liberal crappola as you and William Safford seem to have.

        • William Safford says:

          Enough people with sympathies like yours, fell for the Orange Enemy of the People’s rightist “populist” crap, that they mobilized a right-wing white supremacist attack on the U.S Capitol, to try to overturn the results of a legal election and keep the Orange One in power by a coup.

          Many of the insurrectionists are literally neo-Nazis.

          They are planning more attacks.

          Top that.

    • Larry D says:

      Jussi dude, Trump was the head of the DC insurgents. They went together like a horse and carriage.

    • Greg Bottini says:

      MAGA = More Assholes getting Arrested

  • William Safford says:

    Because of the threat of violence and assassination from the Orange Enemy of the People’s right wing armed seditionists, because of the health hazards posed by the pandemic, and for other reasons, this inauguration should be rethought.

    There is precedent for scaled-down inaugurations, such as 1944.

    Besides, live performance by classical musicians, performed outdoors in January in possibly freezing temperatures–is that anyone’s idea of a good performance space?

    • Greg Bottini says:

      As is a regular occurrence, I agree with you, William Safford.
      Your mention of the 1944 inauguration is right on.
      And those “live performance(-s) by classical musicians, performed outdoors in January in possibly freezing temperatures” are all mimed and lip-synched anyway, so as you suggest – what’s the point?

  • Zelda Macnamara says:

    Hmm, so not the Chieftains, as was originally supposed ….. I’m not bothered about his personal taste in music, I’m assuming that they are good at what they do – as long as he is aware that the whole spectrum of the arts is valuable and is committed to supporting it across the board.

  • Patricia says:

    How typical. The man has the musical taste of a 14-year old. This is just another reason not to watch the farce.

  • Elliott says:

    Wow, that is beyond depressing, no talent on stage to speak of

  • Bone says:

    Shocking! I thought that since “classical artists” lined up in solidarity they’d be rewarded!!
    Oh, wait, white privilege music. Nevermind – CANCELLED!

  • Nafarepo says:

    Imagine a world where one doesn’t wait for the Supreme Leader & His Committee Handlers to issue an official invite to perform, but instead takes initiative oneself to make classical music happen. Responsibly, socially-distanced, collaboratively across a dozen orchestras, celebrating American classical music in the eve of Biden’s inauguration. That is exactly what is about to take place, next Tuesday at noon EST. All the power to Marin Alsop, a very young peruvian-born trumpeter, and a dozen other musicians. https://peabodyinstitute.wordpress.com/2021/01/14/marin-alsop-and-velvet-brown-featured-in-inauguration-fanfare-for-joe-and-kamala/

  • Basso Continuoso says:

    I’m sure once they find a BIPOC ensemble, they might. Obama had no taste in classical music. I’m surprised Midori is even getting Kennedy Center honors, but she’s maybe done a lot for music education. Except pay teachers well enough.

  • Old Man in the Midwest says:

    The last place I would want to be is at this event on JAN 20. Who knows what could happen?

    If you are a Classical artist, you’re better off staying at home and saving your talent for a safer venue that is indoors, orderly, and more hospitable to your genre than playing outside in freezing weather for a few minutes of attention.

  • Nick says:

    The “artists” match the administration!! GAGA!!

    • William Safford says:

      You’re right. Look at the illustrious classical artists who performed for the Orange Enemy of the People….

  • WILLIAM S Gross says:

    South Asian Symphony Orchestra to be featured in ”Inauguration Fanfare for Joe and Kamala”

    Washington, Jan 15 (PTI) The principal horn of India”s South Asian Symphony Orchestra, Nivanthi Karunaratne, who is of Sri Lankan descent, has been invited to represent the orchestra in a virtual performance honouring the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

    The virtual “Inauguration Fanfare for Joe and Kamala” will be streamed on social media on Tuesday, January 19, at 12 pm US-Eastern time and live-streamed simultaneously by concert tour company Classical Movements, 14 orchestras and other partners, with a combined digital footprint of over 7.6 million, a statement said on Thursday.

    https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/south-asian-symphony-orchestra-to-be-featured-in-inauguration-fanfare-for-joe-and-kamala/2010729

  • Jeffrey Biegel says:

    There will be a wonderful new composition premiered by one of the US military bands. The composer is a close friend, and I cannot disclose the name nor the band performing it. I will say that a dear author friend who is close with the powers that be, shared my piano solo tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg with the inaugural committee, whose members liked it and it could have well made it to the lineup. However, getting a piano on premises, and other logistics, was not possible. Let alone the unprecedented security issues, added to a raging pandemic. The main focus is to get through this chapter in history and keep moving ahead. And hopefully, the global health crisis will be history soon. Stay safe and well, everyone.

  • They had a bunch of classical acts booked, actually. But they were replaced by the California Handicapped One-Eyed Lesbian Rainbow Chorus. Thank Goddess for that!

  • Ben says:

    I watched Ma played a wonderful rendition of Amazing Grace last night (he gave a brief introduction before the song):

    https://www.classicfm.com/artists/yo-yo-ma/cellist-poignant-amazing-grace-biden-inauguration-concert/

    Well, smart social distancing (and better acoustics for sure)

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