Tony Winner Mitchell Will Perform At Private Memorial For Senator Kennedy

Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will sing at a private memorial celebration for Senator Edward M. Kennedy today, August 28th. Mitchell will perform "The Impossible Dream" from MAN OF LA MANCHA.

The event will be held from 7pm-9pm will be held at the JFK Library and Museum with Senator Kennedy's family and friends.

Famed Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy died August 25 of Brain Cancer. He was 77 years old. Kennedy passed away at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

A Celebration of Life will honor Senator Kennedy and his love of family and friends, his passion for life and his commitment to public service. The memorial is a way for the people closest to Senator Kennedy to celebrate his life-with his love of music, laughter and stories with friends and family he adored. Many members of Senator Kennedy's family and close friends will participate in the program, as will representatives of his Senate and Massachusetts families.

The celebration is closed to the public.

Brian Stokes Mitchell is the premier male star of the Broadway stage over the last two decades. His Broadway credits include Mail, an all-black revival of George Gershwin's Oh, Kay!, Jelly's Last Jam, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime, the revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, King Hadley II (2001) and Man of La Mancha (2002). He is a four time Tony Award winner - three for Best Lead Actor in a musical (Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate, and Man of La Mancha) and one for Best Leading Actor in a Play (King Hedley II). He has performed as a solo artist and guest star at concerts all over the United States, including Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, the Kennedy Center and the White House. He starred in the PBS concert of "South Pacific" at Carnegie Hall and most recently performed there in a sold-out solo concert. For more information, visit www.brianstokes.com.

In addition to Mitchell, the speaking program includes:

- Paul G. Kirk, Jr.
- Father Gerry Creedon, S.J., Opening Prayer
- "God Bless America," Boston Community Chorus
- Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II
- Senator Christopher J. Dodd
- Nick Littlefield
- Governor Deval L. Patrick
- Senator John McCain
- Video Tribute (Directed by Ken Burns and Mark Herzog)
- Senator John F. Kerry
- Senator Orrin G. Hatch
- Mayor Thomas M. Menino
- Senator John C. Culver
- "Just A Closer Walk with Thee," sung by Boston Community Chorus
- Vice President Joseph R. Biden
- Caroline Kennedy

For more information, visit www.tedkennedy.org.

Edward M. Kennedy was the third longest-serving member of the United States Senate in American history. Voters of Massachusetts elected him to the Senate nine times-a record matched by only one other Senator.

The scholar Thomas Mann said his time in the Senate was "an amazing and endurable presence. You want to go back to the 19th century to find parallels, but you won't find parallels."

President Obama has described his breathtaking span of accomplishment: "For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health, and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts."

He fought for and won so many great battles-on voting rights, education, immigration reform, the minimum wage, national service, the nation's first major legislation to combat AIDS, and equality for minorities, women, the disabled and gay Americans.

He called health care "the cause of my life," and succeeded in bringing quality and affordable health care for countless Americans, including children, seniors and Americans with disabilities. Until the end he was working tirelessly to achieve historic national health reform. He was an opponent of the Vietnam War and an early champion of the war's refugees. He was a powerful yet lonely voice from the beginning against the invasion of Iraq. He stood for human rights abroad-from Chile to the former Soviet Union - and was a leader in the cause of poverty relief for the poorest nations of Africa and the world. He believed in a strong national defense and he also unceasingly pursued and advanced the work of nuclear arms control.

He was the conscience of his party, and also the Senate's greatest master of forging compromise with the other party. Known as the "Lion of the Senate," Senator Kennedy was widely respected on both sides of the aisle for his commitment to progress and his ability to legislate.

Senator Kennedy was Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Previously he was Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and served on that committee for many years. He also served on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Congressional Joint Economic Committee. He was a leader of the Congressional Friends of Ireland and helped lead the way toward peace on that island.

He was a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Virginia Law School. He lived in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, with his wife Vicki. He is survived by her and their five children Kara, Edward Jr., and Patrick Kennedy, and Curran and Caroline Raclin, and his sister Jean Kennedy Smith.