“A Salute To The Troops: In Performance At The White House” is a PBS music special from the South Lawn of the White House. President and Mrs. Obama will host the event on Thursday, November 6, 2014 in advance of Veterans Day and as part of The White House “Joining Forces” initiative, with an all-star tribute to the men and women who serve the United States.
The concert, which will have a live audience that will include hundreds of members of the military, will feature performances by Mary J. Blige, Common, John Fogerty, Willie Nelson, Romeo Santos, and also active duty military members U.S. Army SGT. Christiana R. Ball, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Matt Smith and Capt. John Ed Auer. Don Was will be the music director. The production is also working with the USO, for a performance by Daughtry via satellite of their USO concert at Yokota Air Base in Japan, as well as a live-viewing audience of troops from the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir in Virginia — both to be included in the White House concert and the broadcast.
The broadcast has been made possible by a special collaboration with USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore and USO, Inc. A joint sponsorship by The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin provides major corporate funding for this event. Additional funders include the Anne Ray Charitable Trust, The Annenberg Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and public television viewers.
“WETA is pleased to join the White House in celebrating the U.S. military community, who serve our country with tremendous dedication and service,” stated Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and CEO of WETA. “Through the IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE series, public broadcasting and WETA continue to preserve and honor the history of our country, which music captures so beautifully, and bring it to the national stage.”
“Public media is committed to honoring our nation’s veterans, who have given so much to our country. We are proud to mark Veterans Day and celebrate the military community with this IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE,” said Paula A. Kerger, president and CEO of PBS. ”This is part of our ongoing effort to recognize the contributions and achievements of the men and women of our armed services, and use the power of our airwaves to share their stories.”
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