Artists have been announced for “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement,” a PBS music special in the White House East Room that WETA will produce in association with The GRAMMY Museum®, AEG Ehrlich Ventures and the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). President and Mrs. Obama will host the concert event in honor of Black History Month. The evening will feature songs from the Civil Rights Movement performed by top entertainers, as well as readings from famous Civil Rights speeches and writings.
Artists include Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson, Seal, the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Howard University Choir. Guest speakers are Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah. Additional artists may be announced in the coming days. The music special, part of the PBS “In Performance at the White House” series, will be taped live by WETA Washington, DC, on February 10 and air on February 16 at 10 p.m. ET on witf.
“‘In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement’ will provide PBS viewers with the best seat in the house for a very special evening. This performance special, together with our collection of Black History Month programming on PBS, reflects PBS’s longstanding commitment to showcasing our nation’s rich and diverse heritage,” said PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger.
“The songs of the Civil Rights Movement capture the spirit of that critical period so memorably. To honor these songs at the White House and in a broadcast during Black History Month is a testament to that historic period in the American story, one that continues to change our lives,” commented Jacquie Jones, executive director of the National Black Programming Consortium.
“In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” will be the third “In Performance at the White House” program during President Barack Obama’s administration. A February 2009 event, “In Performance at the White House − Celebrating the Music of Stevie Wonder: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize,” honored musician Stevie Wonder’s receipt of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. An October 2009 concert, “In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina,” was broadcast nationwide during National Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrated Hispanic musical heritage with a star-studded line-up that included Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, José Feliciano and Eva Longoria.
