A Performance of a Lifetime

Agoraphobics, beware: Washington, DC is no place for you today. There are people everywhere. People walking east toward the Capitol, people standing and people sitting on the National Mall, people stepping around other people ("Don't walk on the blanket, please!"), people collecting and people buying ("Get your Obama t-shirts, folks! Get your Obama fragrance!"), people snapping photos, people munching on snacks, people laughing and people talking ("Man, look at all these people! Have you ever seen so many people?"), people hoping there are no people here with bombs or guns, people waving American flags, people hoisting their children onto their shoulders, and, now, people cheering. The JumboTron screens positioned around the National Mall have lit up with the image of rows of girls and boys wearing bright red hats and scarves standing on the Capitol steps. They are singing "America the Beautiful" and the inauguration ceremony for President Barack Obama has begun. It is a clear but frigid morning with temperatures below freezing. The pale winter sun skims the southeastern sky, making stark the silhouettes of bare trees and illuminating the faces of those gathered. The 86 singers from the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus perform effortlessly for the crowd of nearly two million people on the Mall and millions of others across the world via television and internet. "Once we finished the first song...our sound echoed for what seemed like minutes throughout the Mall," said singer Caitlin Cobley after the ceremony. The choruses performed six songs during their portion of the program including the world premiere of "An Exhortation" by David Conte, set to words from Barack Obama's election night acceptance speech. "It was a special privilege to have choral music front and center at the inauguration," said Girls Chorus director Susan McMane. "The fact that we were given 20 minutes to sing six songs was a big spotlight on choral singing. It showed some people for the very first time that choral music is a powerful art form that connects people in a profound way."

"It was a special privilege to have choral music front and center at the inauguration." -Susan McMane, Artistic Director, San Francisco Girls Chorus

The choruses only had two months to prepare for the inauguration performance. After submitting recordings to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, the choruses received a combined invitation just before Thanksgiving from Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Committee, to be part of the swearing-in ceremony. Then began the furious activity of raising over $100,000, arranging plane tickets to DC and accommodations there (many hotel rooms were completely booked by then), rehearsing repertoire, and performing at a sending-off concert in San Francisco. "My whole life lately has been dominated by the excitement and logistics of putting this program together," said Boys Chorus director Ian Robertson. It was a trip never to be forgotten, however, and a performance that continued the long tradition of choral music at presidential inauguration ceremonies. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang at the 1965, 1969, 1981, 1989, and 2001 ceremonies, and the Atlanta University Center Community Chorus (now the Wendell P. Whalum Community Chorus) sang at Carter's inauguration in 1977. The 2009 event, however, was the first to feature children's choruses. "I feel so proud that all of us were able to represent the youth of America at this landmark event in our country's history," said singer Evelyn Fajardo. "Not only did we witness history, but we were actually a part of it."

"I feel so proud that all of us were able to represent the youth of America at this landmark event in our country's history." -San Francisco Girls Chorus singer Evelyn Fajardo

"I feel famous," said singer Duane Smith. The choristers were impressed with a sense pride and gratitude to be involved in this monumental occasion, not only in terms of the inaugural event, but also because this inauguration was that of the first African-American president. "I felt as if we were ringing in a new generation of freedom and acceptance in America," said singer Clara Hendrickson. Back on the Capitol steps, the singers are concluding their last piece on the program. Plumes of breath swirl and dissipate as the final word, "America," triumphantly resounds for all to hear. The singers can relax now that their part in the ceremony is over, while cherishing a memory that will certainly endure.

This article is adapted from The Voice, Spring 2009.