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President
Reagan introduces old friends, Frank Sinatra and
Perry Como before a White House performance in 1982.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Called "In Performance from the White House,"
the PBS programs from the White House during the
two administrations of Ronald Reagan broadened to
include not only classical styles as seen under
the Carters, but Broadway, country, jazz and gospel,
always with creative theatrical flair. One of the
Reagans’ most successful televised series,
"A Tribute to American Music," took place
from fall 1986 to summer 1988 on the White House
lawn. The series featured the music of George Gershwin,
Cole Porter, and Rodgers and Hart with the final
evening showcasing scenes from various current Broadway
musicals in festive costumes and dance. Other outdoor
concerts celebrated distinguished American symphony
orchestras, such as the Boston Pops Orchestra and
New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra.
Whether to enliven parties for children, holiday
fetes, or Congressional picnics, music was vital
to the Reagan White House. Not only the nostalgic
Beach Boys performed their spirited rock music on
the South Lawn, but artists, such as Pinchas Zuckerman
(1982), Frank Sinatra (1982), Jessye Norman (1986),
Lionel Hampton (1987), and many others continued
the long tradition of after-dinner concerts held
in the East Room to honor important heads of state.
Elise
Kirk, Musical Highlights from the White House,
160-164.
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