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United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America

Patti LaBelle singing into microphone expressively
Courtesy of Dan Chung, Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
/
PBS
Grammy Hall of Fame member Patti LaBelle performs with The American Pops Orchestra.

Thu. Dec. 31 at 8pm on WKAR-HD 23.1 & STREAMING | Join Joshua Bell, Renee Fleming, Denyce Graves, Patti LaBelle, Yo-Yo Ma, Audra McDonald and more as they encourage our nation to come together and celebrate our irrepressible strength as Americans.The star-studded performance---filmed at George Washington's Mount Vernon and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts---joins us in the ever-present pursuit of uniting as one America as we welcome the new year despite the enormity of COVID-19 and the significant presence of social injustice.

Filmed at George Washington's Mount Vernon in front of a small socially-distanced live audience and under strict COVID-19 mitigation procedures, United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America features performances by:

  • Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton
  • Multi-Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell
  • World-renowned soprano Renee Fleming
  • Celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves
  • Multi-Grammy- and Tony Award-nominated artist Josh Groban
  • Rising opera star Soloman Howard
  • Recording artist and Broadway star Morgan James
  • 26-time Grammy and Latin Grammy Award winner Juanes
  • Grammy Award-winning and world-renowned artist Patti LaBelle
  • Internationally celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma
  • Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald
  • Two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell
  • Celebrated actor, playwright and professor Anna Deavere Smith
  • World-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet
  • The American Pops Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Luke Frazier

Performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestra JoAnn Falletta, were filmed in the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center and are also part of this special broadcast.
In addition to the abovementioned musical appearances, interviews with artists were conducted onsite at George Washington's Mount Vernon by David M. Rubenstein, philanthropist and host of, "The David Rubenstein Show," on, "Bloomberg."

Watch the special at video.wkar.org during or after the premiere date.

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