Aretha Franklin Set For Obama Inauguration
Aretha Franklin and cellist Yo-Yo Ma will perform behind probable bullet proof glass at the Inauguration of President Obama on January 20. U.S. troops numbering 11,000 will also be present in case of any attempts made on the president’s life by any of the 4 million visitors expected to be in attendance.
Franklin, who to date has 21 Grammys to her name, will perform at her first inauguration (though she did perform for President Bill Clinton in 1993). Fun fact: Obama once sang “Chain of Fools” to the Queen of Soul during a rally in Detroit.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Gabriela Montero, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and clarinetist Anthony McGill are set to perform a new composition by John Williams (who also furnished a composition for Obama’s acceptance speech night in Grant Park). John Williams, who is known for his work on blockbuster film scores (“Star Wars,” “Jurassic Park”), has not released the title of his new work.
Other appearances and performances will be made by poet Elizabeth Alexander, the veteran civil rights leader Reverend Joseph Lowery, both the Boys’ and Girls’ San Francisco Choruses, and the U.S. Marine and Navy Bands. Lowery and Martin Luther King, Jr. co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference together. Lowery is scheduled to give the inauguration’s benediction.
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