''The National Memorial Day Concert'' is a free annual concert performed on the west lawn of the

United States Capitol Building The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in commemoration of

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

from 1989-2019 and in 2022. In 2020 and 2021, the concert was broadcast on PBS and streamed, but was not live, as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. It is held on a Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend. It is broadcast on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, and can also be seen overseas by U.S. military personnel in more than 175 countries and aboard more than 200 U.S. Navy ships at sea on American Forces Network. The concert is viewed and heard by millions across the country and the world, as well as, in every year but 2020 and 2021, attended by more than half a million people at the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. The concert usually begins with the

American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

by the National Symphony Orchestra and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, accompanied by a recording artist, followed by music and dramatic readings. The concert's finale includes a performance of the

Armed Forces Medley The Armed Forces Medley, also known as the Armed Forces Salute is today recognized as a collection of the official marchpasts/songs of the 6 services of the United States Armed Forces: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and as of 2 ...

by the National Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by The U.S. Army Chorus, The U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters, The U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants, and The Soldiers' Chorus of the United States Army Field Band, followed by closing remarks by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The 2020 and 2021 concerts were not live because of the ongoing

and instead featured a series of pre-recorded performances and readings along with a tribute to first-responders helping out during the pandemic. Since its premiere the multi-award-winning television event honors the military service of all the uniformed service personnel of the Armed Forces and by extension the National Guard Bureau and their families and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the republic and people since the 1775 American Revolution.

National Anthem performers

*2007:

Josh Turner Joshua Otis Turner (born November 20, 1977) is an American country and gospel singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to MCA Nashville Records. That same year, his debut album's title track, "Long Black Train", was his breakthrough single ...

*2010:

Yolanda Adams Yolanda Yvette Adams (born August 27, 1961) is an American gospel singer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million albums ...

*2011:

Pia Toscano Pia Toscano (born October 14, 1988) is an American singer. Toscano placed ninth on the tenth season of ''American Idol''. In 2016, she released the EP ''Belong''. Her debut album ''I'm Good'' was released on October 14, 2022. Early life Toscano ...

*2012:

Jessica Sanchez Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez (born August 4, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence following her finish as the runner-up on the eleventh season of ''American Idol''. Early life Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez was born in Chula ...

*2013: Candice Glover *2014:

Caleb Johnson Caleb Perry Johnson (born April 23, 1991) is an American singer who won the 13th season of ''American Idol''. Prior to appearing on the series, he was the front man for the band Elijah Hooker. After ''American Idol'', Johnson released his debu ...

*2015: Nick Fradiani *2016:

Trent Harmon Trenton William Harmon (born October 8, 1990) is an American country music singer who gained national attention for winning the fifteenth season of ''American Idol'' on April 7, 2016. Early life and education Harmon was born in Amory, Mississi ...

*2017:

Auliʻi Cravalho Chloe Auliʻi Cravalho (; born November 22, 2000) is an American actress and singer who made her acting debut as the voice of the titular character in the 2016 Disney 3D computer-animated musical feature film '' Moana''. She went on to star in ...

*2018:

Spensha Baker Spensha Baker is an American singer from San Antonio, Texas. She is best known for coming in fourth place on the fourteenth season of ''The Voice''. Career Spensha Baker started her singing career at a very young age as a 2004 contestant on ''S ...

*2019: Alyssa Raghu *2020: Christopher Jackson *2021:

Mickey Guyton Mickey Guyton (; born Candace Mycale Guyton; June 17, 1983) is an American country music artist. Raised in Texas, Guyton was exposed to various types of music at a young age, and her material subsequently incorporates elements of contemporary cou ...

*2022:

References

{{Reflist

External links

"National Memorial Day Concert" Official Site

"Architect Of The Capitol"
Concerts in the United States PBS original programming NPR 1989 establishments in Washington, D.C.

National Anthem performers

See also

References

External links