White House Concert Featuring Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell & More to Be Live Streamed Tonight

"A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House" is a PBS music special taped in the East Room of the White House. President and Mrs. Obama will host the all-star music tribute celebrating the cultural resonance of art and literature in unique American musical forms.

The concert, including President Obama's remarks, will be available via the White House Press Corps pool feed and streamed live on whitehouse.gov/live and pbs.org/whitehouse.

Taping tonight, October 14, 2015, the evening includes performances by Buddy Guy, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Audra McDonald, Keb' Mo', Smokey Robinson, Trombone Shorty, Esperanza Spalding, Brian Stokes Mitchell, James Taylor and Usher, with special readings and remarks from Carol Burnett (program subject to change). These performances will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act that was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 29, 1965. The act called for the creation of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as separate, independent agencies, the culmination of a movement calling for the federal government to invest in culture.

The event will also mark the first hip-hop performance in the "In Performance at the White House" broadcast series. The song selections for the evening will draw from American-originated musical genres, including hip-hop, blues and the American Songbook. The hour-long program, part of the Emmy Award-nominated "In Performance at the White House" series, is the fifty-fifth production in the series' thirty-seven year history. "A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House" will premiere Friday, January 8, 2016 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings), as part of PBS Arts.

"It is a great privilege to join the White House in honoring the importance of humanities and arts to our nation's culture," said Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and CEO of WETA, the flagship public broadcaster in the nation's capital that is co-producing the special. "Our long-running series 'In Performance at the White House' showcases American creativity as expressed through music for the American people."

"This special evening, shared with the nation from the White House, will embody an aspect of President Johnson's vision of a 'Great Society' that embraces cultural activity to advance our civilization," noted Mark K. Updegrove, director of the LBJ Presidential Library. "We are proud of this opportunity to honor what President Johnson established fifty years ago and to celebrate the artistic creativity that has blossomed over the years due to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts."

"Throughout our history, public television has brought some of the greatest performers of our time to a national stage. No matter where you live, you have a front row seat to extraordinary performances. 'In Performance at the White House' continues to spotlight some of the best of our collective artistic heritage, celebrating the diversity and creativity of our great nation," said Paula A. Kerger, president and CEO of PBS.

"The diverse and rich cultural traditions of our country will be on display in this remarkable concert," said William D. Adams, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). "The NEH is very proud of its extensive efforts to make those traditions accessible to the American people, from our work in preserving important music recordings to our support for scholarship in the history of American music."

"America is recognized throughout the world as a place where the size of your dreams is limited only by your imagination," said Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). "This White House performance is testament to the dreams and artistry that have allowed our cultural landscape to flourish, and to bloom so vibrantly. 'In Performance at the White House' is a wonderful way to celebrate the ways in which the arts and humanities nourish our nation's creativity, inspire dreams, and encourage self-expression."

Educational Program with the White House

On the morning of the concert taping, First Lady Michelle Obama will host "A Celebration of Song," an educational workshop to be held in the State Dining Room for more than 60 middle school and high school students from throughout the Greater Washington region. The event will be produced by the GRAMMY MUSEUM and led by Bob Santelli, executive director of the GRAMMY MUSEUM at L.A. LIVE. Santelli is a leading musicologist and music educator who will give the students an overview of American cultural influences on music over the years, and songwriting techniques. Santelli will be joined by special musical guests Smokey Robinson, Keb' Mo', MC Lyte, Esperanza Spalding and Trombone Shorty, who will share their experiences as well as answer students' questions. The students will also participate interactively with the artists to write and perform their own songs during the workshop. The White House "A Celebration of Song" workshop will be streamed live on whitehouse.gov/live.

"A Celebration of Song" will be accompanied by a broader educational program, also developed by the GRAMMY Museum, consisting of visits to Greater Washington-area institutions and a special student press conference where student journalists will be able to question production staff for articles in their school or local newspaper. In addition, the GRAMMY MUSEUM will offer downloadable curriculum and educational materials for middle and high school teachers, available at grammymuseum.org and pbs.org/whitehouse. This is the tenth educational workshop at the White House that the GRAMMY MUSEUM has organized, in cooperation with the "In Performance at the White House" concert series.

"In Performance at the White House" Series

"A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House" will be the fifteenth "In Performance at the White House" program during President Barack Obama's administration. From February 2009 to the most recent broadcast in June 2015, "In Performance at the White House" events have honored the musical genius of Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Hal David and Carole King; CELEBRATED Hispanic musical heritage during Hispanic Heritage Month; marked Black History Month with events featuring the music of Motown, the Blues, and the Civil Rights Movement; explored the rich roots of Country, Gospel and Memphis Soul music; saluted our American troops; and spotlighted Broadway and the unique spirit of the American musical.

The star-studded line-ups have included Marc Anthony, Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Common, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Aretha Franklin, Jamie Foxx, José Feliciano, Dave Grohl, Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson, Mick Jagger, Jonas Brothers, B.B. King, Alison Krauss, Nathan Lane, John Legend, Eva Longoria, Idina Menzel, Sam Moore, Mike Myers, Willie Nelson, Darius Rucker, Seal, Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Stritch, Justin Timberlake and Jack White.

"In Performance at the White House" has been produced by WETA since 1978 and spans every administration since President Carter's. The series began with an East Room recital by the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz. Since then, "In Performance at the White House" has embraced virtually every genre of American performance: pop, country, gospel, jazz, theatre and dance among them. The series was created to showcase the rich fabric of American culture in the setting of the nation's most famous home. Past programs have showcased such talent as cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, dancer/choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov, the United States Marine Band, soul and jazz singers Natalie Cole and Anita Baker, leading Broadway performers, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

"A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House" Production

The television program "A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House" is a production of WETA Washington, D.C.; CoMedia; Mark Krantz Productions; and Cappy Productions. Executive producers are Dalton Delan, Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz and Cappy McGarr. Bob Santelli is executive director of the GRAMMY Museum. The director is Leon Knoles. The music director is Crispin Cioe. The "In Performance at the White House" series was created by WETA Washington, D.C. The series producer is Jackson Frost. Funding for the program is provided by the LBJ Foundation, David M. Rubenstein, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, the Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the Spencer Foundation. Air travel is generously provided by American Airlines.

For more information about "A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House," visit pbs.org/whitehouse. An electronic press kit, including downloadable talent photos for promotional use, is available at pressroom.pbs.org. To follow "In Performance at the White House" on Twitter, use hashtag #PBSipwh.

Photo credit: Andrew Eccles