Inaugural Lincoln Memorial Celebration - Preliminary Program

The 56th Presidential Inauguration promises to be the most inclusive in American history, and the Opening Celebration is one of a series of inaugural events that reflect that commitment by President-elect Barack H. Obama.

To that end, the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC2009) announced on Jan. 12, the preliminary producers and talent lineup for a historical concert, We Are One: The Obama Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.  

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The Lincoln Memorial performance is a historical event, which will bring to life with entertainment that relates to the themes that shaped Mr. Obama and will be the hallmarks of his administration, as the 44th President of the United States of America.

The Opening Celebration 56th Presidential Inaugural will be presented live exclusively by HBO Sunday, Jan.18, starting at 2:30 pm ET/ 11:30 am PT and an encore from 7:00 - 9:00 pm ET/PT, on an open signal, working with all of its distributors to allow Americans across the country with access to cable, telcos or satellite television to join in the Opening Celebration for free, or watch it on HBO.com 

The free event is open to the public in attendant, which will kick-start one of the most open and accessible Inaugurations in American history. A map has been added to help the public to navigate Washington D. C.

As of this writing, according to PIC the preliminary list of musical performers scheduled for the event include the following:
Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder. 

Among those reading historical passages will be Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah, Tiger Woods, Forest Whitaker, Tom Hanks, and Denzel Washington. 

Additional performers will be announced as they are confirmed.

The program also includes Rt. Reverend V. Gene Robinson who will give the invocation.  Mr. Rob Mathes is the music director and arranger for the backing band, which will support all of the performers. 

The special is executive produced by Mr. George Stevens, Jr. who is known for his works with The Kennedy Center Honors.  Mr. Don Mischer, the Don Mischer Productions, is the director, and Mr. Michael Stevens, the Stevens Company and The American Film Institute Salutes, is the writer of this special. 

“Our intention is to root the event in history, celebrating the moments when our nation has united to face great challenges and prevail,“ observed George Stevens, Jr.  “We will combine historical readings by prominent actors with music from an array of the greatest stars of today.“

“This is a great opportunity to capture an historic event in a very meaningful setting,“ noted Don Mischer.  “We will have the statue of Abraham Lincoln looking down on our stage and a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people lining the mall—a tableau any director would relish.“

“We have found that the great artists are eager to take part and each one is working with us to find music that expresses the optimism and hope that people bring to the Obama inauguration,“ said Michael Stevens.

Updated information pertains to the schedule of the Inaugural events have been released by PIC as of Jan.14, 2009.

Other NP articles about the performers covered by J. Martineau.

Inauguration-related articles provided by this writer on NP:

• Opening Ceremonies Kick-Off at the Lincoln Memorial
  
• Yo Yo Ma and Friends' Musical Ode to Honor Obama
  
• Obama-Biden's Whistle-Stop Train Tour to Washington D.C.
  
• Pre-Inauguration Lineups: Bipartisan Dinners; Children's Concert
  
• The Smithsonian Acquires Barack Obama's Image
  
• Techno-Access to Presidential Inauguration 2009
  
• The Commander-in-Chief's Inaugural Ball
  
• National Mall Welcomes the Public
  
• Unofficial Presidential Inaugural Balls
  
• The First Interview after the Election

External Resources:

The Lincoln Memorial

The Smithsonian Institution

The National Register of Historic Places in Washington D.C.

The National Mall

The United States Capitol Building

The National Building Museum