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      Biden Inauguration: Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez Will Perform

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Biden TransitionliveLatest UpdatesUnderstand the Trump ImpeachmentBiden Tries to Rise AboveBiden’s FocusCabinet PicksAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyLady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez to Sing at Biden’s InaugurationLady Gaga will sing the national anthem at Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony, which will feature a performance by Jennifer Lopez.Lady Gaga, who will sing the national anthem at Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony next week.Credit…Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesJan. 14, 2021Updated 12:15 p.m. ETLady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez will be among the A-list artists to take part next week in the inauguration ceremonies of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., his inaugural committee announced Thursday, adding their names to a lineup that includes Justin Timberlake and Jon Bon Jovi.In a news release, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said that Lady Gaga would sing the national anthem at the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20 and that Lopez would offer a “musical performance” of some kind.❤️🤍💙 #Inauguration2021 pic.twitter.com/ay3C56wfue— jlo (@JLo) January 14, 2021
      Amanda Gorman, who in 2017 became the first National Youth Poet Laureate in the United States, will read poetry; a firefighter will lead the Pledge of Allegiance; and a priest and a pastor who are close friends of Mr. Biden will lead the invocation and benediction.“They represent one clear picture of the grand diversity of our great nation and will help honor and celebrate the time-honored traditions of the presidential inauguration as President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris take the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol,” Tony Allen, the head of the head Presidential Inaugural Committee said in a statement.The performance announcements add new detail to the emerging portrait of Mr. Biden’s reimagined inauguration — one that will be taking place amid heightened health and safety concerns as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage and Washington grapples with the fallout of last week’s riot at the Capitol by a Trump-aligned mob.On Wednesday, Mr. Biden’s inaugural committee announced that it would hold a prime time television event to close out the festivities and that the event featuring Timberlake and Bon Jovi that would be hosted by the actor Tom Hanks.Art and music have long been leveraged by incoming presidents to help capture the mood of the moment, provide symbolism and help advance the broad themes the new administration is focused on. In Mr. Biden’s case, that theme is “America United” in a time of sharp partisanship and division — an inaugural theme that echoes a through line of Mr. Biden’s campaign, during which he repeatedly pledged to “restore the soul” of the nation.And although many aspects of the swearing-in ceremony will recall past inaugurations, the proceedings will generally be smaller and socially-distanced, and some events will take place virtually. Officials have indicated that there will be a televised “virtual parade across America” and a public art installation on the National Mall. With the virus raging, there have been no mentions of indoor, in-person inaugural balls or galas.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Stimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts Venues

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Coronavirus OutbreakliveLatest UpdatesMaps and CasesThe Stimulus DealThe Latest Vaccine InformationF.A.Q.AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyStimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts VenuesThe coronavirus relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to this week includes grant money that many small proprietors described as a last hope for survival.An empty United Palace Theater in New York. $15 billion of a $900 billion coronavirus relief package is designed to help the culture sector survive after a nearly yearlong revenue drought.Credit…George Etheredge for The New York TimesBen Sisario and Dec. 21, 2020, 4:24 p.m. ETFor the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that congressional leaders agreed to this week offers the prospect of aid at last: it includes $15 billion to help them weather a crisis that has closed theaters and silenced halls.The money, part of a $900 billion coronavirus relief package, is designed to help the culture sector — from dive-bar rock clubs to Broadway theaters and museums — survive. Many small proprietors described it as their last hope for being able to remain in business after a nearly yearlong revenue drought.“This is what our industry needs to make it through,” said Dayna Frank, the owner of First Avenue, a storied music club in Minneapolis. She is also the board president of the National Independent Venue Association, which was formed in April and has lobbied Congress aggressively for relief for its more than 3,000 members.As the news of the deal began to trickle out on Sunday night, a collective sigh of relief ricocheted through group text messages and social media posts. “Last night was the first time I have smiled in probably nine months,” Ms. Frank said.Dayna Frank, the owner of First Avenue in Minneapolis, said, “This is what our industry needs to make it through.”Credit…Jenn Ackerman for The New York TimesBroadway theaters, which have been closed since March, applauded the relief package.“We are grateful for this bipartisan agreement which will provide immediate relief across our industry and a lifeline to the future,” Charlotte St. Martin, the president of the Broadway League, the trade organization for producers and theater owners, said in a statement.Nataki Garrett, the artistic director for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, said that the aid would be crucial for nonprofit theaters. “Our situation was critical and dire,” she said.But the leaders of some large nonprofit cultural organizations worried that the way the bill is structured — giving priority to organizations that lost very high percentages of their revenue before considering the rest — could put them at the back of the line for grants, since they typically get a significant portion of revenues through donations.With the bill set to be approved in both chambers of Congress as early as Monday evening, arts groups around the nation were cautiously celebrating while studying the fine print to see what kind of aid they might qualify for. Most doubt the entertainment industry can fully swing back into action until well into next year, at the earliest.The bill allows independent entertainment businesses, like music venues and movie theaters, along with other cultural entities, to apply for grants from the Small Business Administration to support six months of payments to employees and for costs including rent, utilities and maintenance. Applicants must have lost at least 25 percent of their revenue to qualify, and those have lost more than 90 percent will be able to apply first, within the first two weeks after the bill becomes law.The Coronavirus Outbreak More