Bisexual opera singer Jamie Barton, a social media star and activist for LGBTQ+ and women's rights, body positivity, and other social justice causes, is part of a stellar musical lineup ringing in the New Year on PBS's United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America.
The program will be broadcast on PBS stations Thursday from 8 to 9:30 p.m. and again from 9:30 to 11 p.m. (all times Eastern; check local listings), and on PBS.org and the PBS video app.
United in Song "encourages our nation to come together and celebrate our irrepressible strength as we welcome the New Year," says a PBS press release. "Despite the enormity of COVID-19 and the significant presence of social injustice, this special evening of wide-ranging music joins us in the ever-present pursuit of uniting as one America."
In addition to mezzo-soprano Barton, the program will feature violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet; singers Renee Fleming, Denyce Graves, Josh Groban, Soloman Howard, Morgan James, Juanes, Patti LaBelle, Audra McDonald, and Brian Stokes Mitchell; and actor, playwright, and professor Anna Deavere Smith. They will appear alongside the American Pops Orchestra, conducted by Luke Frazier, in performances filmed at Mount Vernon, the home of President George Washington. Performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by JoAnn Falletta and filmed in the Concert Hall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will also be part of the broadcast.
"This was an incredibly inspiring experience -- from working with Broadway and pop stars to the top-notch artists doing our makeup and hair, it was really powerful to see everyone coming together to rise above the strife we've all felt this year," Barton told The Advocate. "There was this palpable feeling that together, there is nothing we can't do."
The show will also feature interviews with the artists conducted by David M. Rubenstein, host of The David Rubenstein Show. "Music is a universal language and has the unique power of uniting us," Rubenstein, who is co-executive producer of United in Song, said in the press release. "I suspect the majority of us will be celebrating this New Year's with an inability to gather in-person. Ringing in 2021 with music performed by world-class artists provides an opportunity to celebrate what makes us American."
Watch a clip of Barton's performance below.
