Donald Trump Inauguration to Feature Singer Jackie Evancho
Classical-crossover singer Jackie Evancho will sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at Donald Trump‘s inauguration ceremony on Friday, January 20th. The 16-year-old, who was the runner-up on 2010’s America’s Got Talent competition, broke the news Wednesday on The Today Show. “I’m so excited,” she said of the ceremony. “It’s going to be awesome.”
Evancho is the first performer announced for the Trump ceremony. Boris Epshteyn, the Inaugural Committee’s Director of Communications, confirmed her participation in a statement. “We’re delighted to have Jackie Evancho performing the National Anthem at the 58th Presidential Inaugural Ceremony,” he wrote. “As the youngest solo artist to ever go platinum, she is a true role model and inspiration for people young and old in our country and around the globe. Jackie represents the best and the brightest of America.”
The inauguration will mark Evancho’s second presidential performance, following her 2010 White House appearance at President Obama’s National Christmas Tree Lighting celebration. The following year, she met Trump during an event at the real estate mogul’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
Iconic vocalist Andrea Bocelli is rumored to also perform at the inauguration. A rep for the singer did not immediately return a request for comment.
Like Trump’s campaign and presidential win, the inauguration performance line-up has courted with controversy. Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil recently claimed he was invited to play and was then “uninvited.” Trump advisor Anthony Scaramucci claimed Elton John was booked to perform, which the rock singer later denied.
Obama recruited soul legend Aretha Franklin to perform the national anthem at his 2009 inauguration. His second term event featured Beyoncé’s (lip-synched) version of “The Star Spangled Banner,” James Taylor singing “America the Beautiful” and Kelly Clarkson singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”