Chairman Schumer Announces the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Program

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), announced the complete program line-up for the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies.

“I am honored to announce this incredible line-up for the Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies,” Schumer said. “We have some of the most talented individuals from across America performing at one of America’s most treasured events. I am confident that this collection of songs, prayers, poems and speeches will leave attendees and those that watch the ceremonies at home full of ‘Faith in America’s Future.’”

The program participants were invited by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and chosen by the Chairman as well as the Presidential Inauguration Committee. In addition to Chairman Schumer, the members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies include: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Senator Lamar Alexander, Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee; Speaker of the House John A. Boehner; House Majority Leader Eric Cantor; and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

The order of the program will be as follows:

Musical Selections
The United States Marine Band
Musical Selections
PS 22, Staten Island, New York and Lee University Festival Choir, Cleveland, Tennessee
Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks
The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
Invocation
Myrlie Evers-Williams
Musical Selection
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
Oath of Office Administered to Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
By Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, The Honorable Sonia Sotomayor
Musical Selection
James Taylor
Oath of Office Administered to President Barack H. Obama
By the Chief Justice of the United States, The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.
Inaugural Address
The President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H. Obama
Musical Selection
Kelly Clarkson
Poem
Richard Blanco
Benediction
To Be Announced
The National Anthem
Beyoncé

Additional Information

The United States Marine Band

For more than two centuries, the United States Marine Band has been part of the events that have shaped our nation. As “The President’s Own,” its central role has made it an important thread in the fabric of American life. Established by an Act of Congress in 1798, the Marine Band is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization. Its primary mission is unique: to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

PS22

PS22 is an internationally acclaimed chorus from Staten Island, New York, consisting of 65 fifth graders. Directed by Gregg Breinberg, it has become one of the most renowned children's choirs worldwide, with its YouTube videos garnering over 50,000,000 views. The public school chorus was presented the prestigious Webby Award for "Artist of The Year" by R&B artist Ne-Yo in 2010. Over the years, the group has had celebrated appearances on Nightline, Good Morning America, The Today Show, MTV, VH1, and was twice featured on Oprah! Perhaps best remembered for closing the 83rd Annual Academy Awards with a show-stopping rendition of "Over The Rainbow," the chorus has also performed with such celebrated artists as Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Gym Class Heroes, Queen Latifah, and a host of other prominent names in the music industry.

Lee University Festival Choir

Lee University Festival Choir is a student ensemble which represents this university in Cleveland, Tennessee, at special campus and community events throughout the school year. The 200 students performing at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration have been chosen from seven campus choral ensembles, including 350 vocalists, which perform regularly as part of the Lee University School of Music. These ensembles have appeared around the world at venues as varied as Carnegie Hall, the NBC television show “Sing Off”, and St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The groups present choral masterworks, pop and gospel music, and standard classical literature, performing composers ranging from Duruflé to Bach to John Rutter. In addition to North American touring, Lee’s choirs perform extensively throughout Europe and Asia and are scheduled to tour Indonesia and China this summer. The Lee University Festival Choir is under the direction of William Green, who is Dean of the School of Music. Dr. Green holds the DMA degree in choral conducting from the University of Kentucky.

Myrlie Evers-Williams

Myrlie Evers-Williams served as the chair of the NAACP from 1995 to 1998. She is the widow of Medgar Evers, the NAACP’s Mississippi Field Secretary who in 1963 was gunned down in the driveway of his home in Jackson, Mississippi. She fought for 30 years to bring his assassin to justice, and preserves his legacy through the Medgar Evers Institute. An author of three books about their civil rights work, she currently serves as a distinguished scholar at Alcorn University in Lorman, Mississippi. Evers-Williams became the first African American woman to head the Southern California Democratic Women’s Division. She has received 16 honorary degrees from leading colleges and universities in addition to numerous civil rights, human rights and community awards.

Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir is directed by Carol Cymbala, the wife of Pastor Jim Cymbala. The 280-voice choir, whose members are mostly vocally untrained church members, has recorded three videos, three DVDs and numerous albums, winning five Dove Awards and six Grammy Awards. Their concert venues in New York City have included Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Madison Square Garden Theater. They also performed at the Billy Graham Crusades that were held in New York City’s Central Park and Flushing Meadows Park. The recognition that the choir has received has provided them with a wide open door for ministry in presenting the gospel message through music to people all over the world.

James Taylor

James Taylor’s music embodies the art of songwriting in its most personal and universal form. In a career spanning four decades, with close to 100 million albums sold and five Grammy Awards, his immediately recognizable warm baritone, introspective lyrics and unique guitar playing still blaze a path to which musicians throughout the world aspire. In 2011 James was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama at The White House and in 2012 he was awarded the distinguished Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. Both medals are their nation’s highest honors for artistic excellence recognizing outstanding achievements and support of the arts.

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson has released five studio albums and one greatest hits album, sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and has had 10 singles in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. A global superstar, Clarkson has won two Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, two ACM Awards, a CMA Award and 12 Billboard Music Awards. Her most recent studio album, Stronger, is certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A. and was recently nominated for four 2013 Grammy Awards.

Richard Blanco

Born in Spain to Cuban exiles, Blanco’s parents emigrated to New York City days after his birth and eventually settled in Miami. Blanco's career as an English-language Latino poet gained momentum when his first collection, City of a Hundred Fires, won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize from the University of Pittsburgh. Blanco's second book of poetry, Directions to The Beach of the Dead, won the PEN American Center Beyond Margins Award. His third collection, Looking for The Gulf Motel, was published in 2012. Richard Blanco will be the first Hispanic, LGBT person and youngest-ever to recite a poem at the swearing-in ceremony.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé has become one of the most widely recognized and highly respected women in pop culture. She emerged as a founding member and lead singer and songwriter of Destiny's Child and later developed into an iconic solo artist, actress, philanthropist and businesswoman. She has released four #1 solo albums and has sold over 75 million albums worldwide. Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including 16 Grammy Awards. Billboard named her the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the 2000s decade. The Recording Industry Association of America also recognized Beyoncé as the Top Certified Artist of the 2000s.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is responsible for the oversight and planning of the Presidential Inauguration and related ceremonies on the U.S. Capitol grounds.

The Joint Committee was authorized by S. Con. Res. 35, which passed the Senate on March 1, 2012, and the House on March 5^th. Members of JCCIC are appointed by the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. In accordance with tradition, the Senate representatives on JCCIC are Majority Leader Harry Reid, Rules Committee Chairman Charles E. Schumer, and Rules Committee Ranking Member Lamar Alexander. The House members of JCCIC are Speaker John A. Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

S. Con. Res. 35 established the date of the 2013 Inauguration as Monday, January 21, 2013, since January 20, 2013 falls on a Sunday. This is the seventh time in U.S. history that the constitutionally mandated Inauguration date has fallen on a Sunday. The last time was for President Ronald Reagan’s second Inauguration in 1985. When this occurs, the public ceremonies traditionally are held on Monday.

In addition, January 21, 2013 is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It will be the second time that this federal holiday has coincided with a Presidential Inauguration. The first was President Bill Clinton’s second Inauguration in 1997.

You can follow the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/JCCIC and on Twitter at @jccic2013. Visit www.inaugural.senate.gov on your smartphone to access our mobile website app.

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