Photos by Dan Chung

United in Song

More than 3.2 million people tuned in to the PBS special United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America on New Year’s Eve. It was a star-studded concert filmed at both Mount Vernon and the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Locations at Mount Vernon included the east lawn, south lawn, slave memorial, greenhouse, and the New Room.

Filming took place in September in front of a small, socially distanced live audience and under strict COVID-19 mitigation procedures. Performers included: Grammy Award–winning and world-renowned artist Patti LaBelle (pictured); Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton; multi-Grammy award–winning violinist Joshua Bell; world-renowned soprano Renée 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; 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; and world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, alongside 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.

In addition to musical appearances, David M. Rubenstein, philanthropist and host of The David Rubenstein Show on Bloomberg, conducted interviews with the artists on-site at the Washington Library. “Music is a universal language and has the unique power of uniting us,” said Rubenstein, who also co-executive produced the event. “With most of us unable to gather in person, ringing in 2021 with music performed by world-class artists provides an opportunity to celebrate what makes us American." He added, "When George Washington was leaving office to return to Mount Vernon, he asked that we look to each other and find what we share in common as opposed to what makes us different. That advice appears to be just as relevant today as it was more than 200 years ago.”

Clips of the program can be viewed on pbs.org. The entire program is available to PBS Passport members only.