The Presidential Inaugural Committee has updated its schedule of events for the 2013 inauguration of President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19
National Day of Service Summit on the National Mall
Location: The National Mall
Time: 9:30 a.m.
The First and Second families are issuing a call to action for all Americans to join together in service to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As part of the 57th Presidential Inauguration, the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) is encouraging all Americans to participate in a National Day of Service on Saturday, January 1 – a tradition started by the Obamas at their first Inaugural four years ago.
As part of this Day of Service, the Inaugural Committee will host a Service Summit on the National Mall, and is planning service events in all 50 states. In addition to the Service Summit, on Saturday the President, Vice President, and their families will also participate in service events in Washington DC.
Kids’ Inaugural Concert
Location: Washington Convention Center
Time: 6 p.m.
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will host the Kids’ Inaugural for America’s children and families as part of their ongoing commitment to military families. The concert continues a tradition they started in 2009 that builds on initiatives like Joining Forces by honoring and celebrating the service and sacrifice of our U.S. military as part of official Inaugural activities.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 20
Vice President Biden’s Official Swearing-In
Location: Naval Observatory
Time: 8:15 a.m.
President Obama’s Official Swearing-In
Location: White House - Blue Room
Time: 11:55 a.m.
Historically, Inaugural Ceremonies are not held on a Sunday because Courts and other public institutions are not open. This year, in accordance with the requirements of the United States Constitution, President Obama and Vice President Biden will officially be sworn-in on Sunday, January 20, 2013.
MONDAY, JANUARY 21
Ceremonial Swearing-In Ceremony
Location: Capitol Hill
Time: 11:30 a.m.
On Monday, the President and Vice President will be sworn in the traditional ceremonial swearing in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol that is open to the public.
The order of the ceremony is as follows:
Musical Selections: The United States Marine Band
Musical Selections: PS 22, Staten Island, NY and Lee University Festival Choir, Cleveland, Tenn.
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
Inaugural Parade
Location: Viewing stands and bleachers are lined along Pennsylvania Avenue
Following Swearing-in and Luncheon
President Obama, Vice President Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden will participate in the Inaugural Parade following the public swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. This year’s parade features participants, floats and vehicles representing more than 58 groups.
The Commander in Chief’s Inaugural Ball
Location: Washington Convention Center
Time: 6 p.m.
As he did at his first Inauguration in 2009, President Obama will host the Commander-in-Chief’s Ball to honor America’s brave service members and their families, a tradition started by President George W. Bush in 2005. Active duty and reserve military, Medal of Honor recipients, and wounded warriors and their spouses will attend. Troops from around the world will also be able to join the celebration virtually. This event is open only to ticketed guests.
The Inaugural Ball
Location: Washington Convention Center
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Americans across the country are invited to share in the celebration at The Inaugural Ball, a unified celebration for all Americans that will span every hall in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This event is open only to ticketed guests.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22
National Prayer Service
Location: Washington National Cathedral
Time: 10:30 a.m.
President Obama, Vice President Biden, and their spouses will attend a prayer service on Tuesday morning.
Here is more information on the performers during Monday's ceremony:
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.
Photo Credit: AP