N PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE: SPIRIT OF THE SEASON IS AVAILABLE TO VIEW ONLINE AT PBS.ORG/WHITEHOUSE
MUST SEE: Among a slate of award-winning performers, the Voices of Service delivered a powerful rendition of "Choke" near the First Lady's tree dedicated to service members. reminding us to remember those ho have fallen in the line of duty during the holidays. Watch below.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- PBS will marked the holiday season with the premiere of In Performance at the White House: Spirit of the Season. This dazzling music special celebrates the holidays and highlights the seasonal décor at the White House. Featuring special remarks by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and First Lady Jill Biden, actress Jennifer Garner will serve as the program host, which will also include performances by Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli, Virginia Bocelli, Camila Cabello, Eric Church, Jonas Brothers, Norah Jones, Pentatonix, Billy Porter, Northwell Health Nurse Choir, Voices of Service, and the United States Marine Band. The hour-long television special is produced by WETA Washington, D.C., the flagship public broadcaster in the nation’s capital, in association with Ken Ehrlich Productions, Inc., and will be recorded at the White House December 11-14, 2021. The music special is part of the Emmy Award-nominated PBS In Performance at the White House series and premiered on Tuesday, December 21 at 8 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and at pbs.org/whitehouse. The program will also be broadcast at a later date via the American Forces Network to American service men and women and civilians at U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world.
The President and Dr. Biden welcomed this diverse roster of artists to perform songs in historic White House rooms — including the East Room, the State Dining Room, and the Blue Room, home of the Official White House Christmas tree — sharing the festive spirit with the nation through In Performance at the White House. Audiences will see the First Family’s “Gifts from the Heart”-themed holiday installations currently on display throughout the White House. The performances and inside look at the White House holiday décor will honor the resilience of the American people, with communities coming together in service to others, during this celebratory and reflective time of year. For more information about the White House holiday décor, please visit WhiteHouse.gov/Holidays.
“WETA is pleased to partner with the White House to welcome viewers into the nation’s most prominent home to focus on the importance of family, community and America during the holidays,” noted Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and chief executive officer of WETA. “We look forward to sharing more special performances recorded at the White House to capture the essence of our nation at its best.”
“We are thrilled to celebrate the holiday season with this special musical performance at the White House,” said Paula A. Kerger, PBS president and CEO. “As an important part of our mission, PBS and our member stations will continue to share the very best of theater, music and dance with audiences across the country.’’
“We are pleased to support In Performance at the White House: Spirit of the Season,” said Pat Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “Although we are still dealing with the pandemic, it is important to take this time to count our blessings through music and song and come together as a nation during this season of celebration and remembrance.”
Two performance acts in particular will celebrate service to the nation. The Northwell Health Nurse Choir is a group of frontline nurses — each from different Northwell hospitals, nursing specialties and areas of New York. They formed in 2020 and represent frontline workers and the nursing profession, with the power of music lifting their spirits and helping them forge a special bond while the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially challenging for their profession. Voices of Service is a singing quartet, part of the nonprofit Center for American Military Music Opportunities (CAMMO), and includes retired Master Sgt. Caleb Green, retired Staff Sgt. Ron Henry, Sgt. Maj. Christal Rheams and Sgt. 1st Class Jason Hanna. Voices of Service use their platform to increase awareness of what music can do for service men and women who are coping with post-traumatic stress and other invisible and visible wounds.
WETA has produced In Performance at the White House for PBS since 1978, first collaborating with President Carter’s administration. The program has featured a vast array of past performers including: dancer/choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov; jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie; soul icon Aretha Franklin; popular music singers Marc Anthony, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Gloria Estefan, Ariana Grande, Mick Jagger, John Legend, Linda Ronstadt, Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder; gospel singer CeCe Winans; blues icon B.B. King; Broadway luminaries Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald and Idina Menzel; country music’s Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss; and the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Watch the full program online at pbs.org/whitehouse and join the conversation on social via #WhiteHouseConcertPBS.