Jessica Sanchez Joins Lineup for National Memorial Day Concert

PBS's National Memorial Day Concert welcomes Jessica Sanchez this Memorial Day weekend to perform "God Bless America" at the annual tribute honoring the service and sacrifice of all our men and women in uniform, their families at home and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The concert will air live in HD on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, May 26, 2013 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET(check local listings) before an on-site audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network.

Sanchez first performed at the National Memorial Day Concert in 2012. The performance is especially significant to Sanchez given that she has military connections in her own family. Her father, Gilbert Sanchez , has served several tours of duty in Iraq and Kuwait with the U.S. Navy and her grandfather Edward M. Bugay is a retired Navy veteran.

Sanchez - the 17-year-old California native who won over American Idol viewers last season with her diva-worthy vocal range - recently released her debut album Me, You & the Music, that includes the single Tonight featuring Ne-Yo.

The multi award-winning program will be co-hosted for the eighth year by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) and Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise (CSI:New York), two acclaimed actors who have dedicated themselves to veterans causes and supporting our troops in active service. In addition to Sanchez, the all-star line-up also includes: distinguished American leader Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.); season 12 American Idol winner Candice Glover ; two-time Golden Globe award-winning actor Ed Harris ; Dandcing with the Stars finalist and classical cross-over artist Katherine Jenkins ; singer-songwriter and The Voice finalist Chris Mann ; and acclaimed Tony award-winning tenor Alfie Boe ; in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly .

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