First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a workshop and concert with classical musicians, young and old, as part of the White House Music Series on November 4, 2009.
The audience consisted of what First Lady Michelle Obama referred to as “classical music superstars of tomorrow” in her opening speech. She spoke about how “The White House is the people’s house. It’s a place that’s steeped in history but also a place where we like to start new traditions and to bring people together in different ways because nothing mixes old and new quite like classical music.”
She commended the musicians on their dedication to achieve musical excellence and said, “It’s through that struggle that you find what you truly have to offer to your instrument or to anything in life”.
“You’ll learn that if you believe in yourself and put in your best effort, that there’s nothing that you can’t achieve. And those aren’t just lessons about music. These are really lessons about life” she said.
The concert featured Sharon Isbin on guitar, Awadagin Pratt on piano, Alisa Weilerstein on cello and Joshua Bell on violin. These musicians are considered the best in the world and have been playing their instruments since childhood.
This hour-long concert featured an eclectic mix of musicians and music lovers. The attendees were young and old, male and femail and ranged a wide spectrum of ethnic diversity yet they were united by a common love: music.
Each of the musicians is clearly passionate about and connected to their music and their enthusiasm shines through during their performances. You simply don’t want to miss Alisa Weilerstein on cello at 40:55. She truly embodies what it means to be in the moment of creativity.
