Capitol Fourth '09

The annual Independence Day celebration will air Saturday, July 4, 8:00-9:30 PM ET on most PBS stations (check local listings). The 29th concert will also be broadcast to our troops overseas via the American Forces Radio and Television Network. You can also listent to the concert live on NPR stations across the country.

Jimmy Smiths returns as the concert's host. Among the guest stars are Elmo and other Sesame Street characters, including Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch, who'll sing for the crowd. The iconic children's show is now in its 40th year.

Joining them in the celebration of America's 233rd birthday are the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin; the cast of Jersey Boys; Michael Feinstein; classical pianist Andrew von Oeyen; and Natasha Bedingfield. Barry Manilow will open and close the concert broadcast with a medley of patriotic classics and hit songs. The National Symphony Orchestra and Choral Arts Society of Washington will, of course, perform throughout the concert.

The skyline of the nation’s capital will come alive with vibrant and booming pyrotechnics, set against silhouettes of national landmarks the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. A Capitol Fourth will capture this stunning fireworks display from every vantage point with eighteen TV cameras stationed around the city – including the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument and across the Potomac River. Capping off the show will be a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” complete with live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery, an audience favorite and now A Capitol Fourth tradition. Also participating in the event will be The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, The U.S. Army “Old Guard” Fife and Drum Corps and the Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C.

Commented Smits, “I am honored to be asked once again to host this year's special party to celebrate our great country's birthday…and what a 'guest list!' The music itself embraces so many genres – we’ve got pop, we’ve got classical and we’ve got soul. Throw in an anniversary celebration of Sesame Street, topped off with the biggest fireworks display around and we’ve got quite a show!”

A Capitol Fourth is a co-production of Jerry Colbert of Capital Concerts and WETA, Washington, D.C.

A Capitol Fourth 2009 is made possible by grants from The Boeing Company, the National Park Service, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Department of the Army, the National Endowment for the Arts, PBS and public television stations nationwide. Air travel is provided by American Airlines.

Photo (c) 2009 PBS. All rights reserved.

Source: PBS Press.

National Memorial Day Concert 20th Anniversary

PBS stations across the country will again broadcast the National Memorial Day Concert, live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Gary Sinise (CSI: NY) and Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) return to co-host the event for the third consecutive year. The concert airs Sunday, May 24 from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM ET, with a taped encore presentation in many cities from 9:30-11:00 PM ET. Check local listings for broadcast times on your PBS station.

"This year’s event will look back and reflect on some of the most powerful moments from the past two decades, in which these performers contributed their immense talents to help viewers remember and pay tribute to all those who served in America’s wars."

It may be the concert's 20th anniversary, but 2009 marks a more significant one: the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. During his presidency, Lincoln considered it a duty to "...to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan..." It was during the Civil War that the loved ones of the fallen soldiers and sailors of both sides began planting flowers as tributes to their lives and military service. So, it is fitting that excerpts from letters written by President Lincoln will be read during the concert. To this day, more American lives were lost during the Civil War than any other conflict since. More than 620,000 soldiers and sailors died defending their beliefs.

PBS also states that, "The concert will honor the sacrifices, suffering and love of the thousands of family members caring for our severely wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. These disabled warriors have become our living memorials, a visible reminder of those who sacrificed so much for the principles we stand for whose families take care of them and will continue to sacrifice for them for the rest of their lives."

"Joining co-hosts Sinise and Mantegna is an all-star line-up of dignitaries, actors and musical artists including distinguished American leader Colin L. Powell; renowned film, television and stage actress Katie Holmes; Emmy Award-winning actor Laurence Fishburne; double Academy Award-winning actress Dianne Wiest; recording artist and actress Katharine McPhee; country music superstar Trace Adkins; Tony Award-winning Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell; celebrated Broadway star Colm Wilkinson (Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera); acclaimed opera star Denyce Graves; classical music superstar Lang Lang, named one of the 2009 TIME 100 (Time magazine); and Grammy-nominated violin virtuoso Robert McDuffie in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestro Erich Kunzel, recipient of the National Medal of Arts. The U.S Joint Chiefs of Staff also will participate in the event, along with the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, U.S. Army Chorus, U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, Soldiers Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band, U.S. Navy Sea Chanters, and the Armed Forces Color Guard and Service Color Teams provided by the Military District of Washington, DC."

PBS's has again launched the concert's companion website at www.pbs.org/memorialdayconcert. You can explore the viewer's guide and a special page where veterans and family members can pay tribute to their friends and loved ones. These eulogies will be delivered to the appropriate national memorial in the nation's capitol.

Source: PBS Press materials.