The Grammys have announced a diverse lineup of musicians for their “Salute to Classical Music.” The event, which will be held Jan. 26 at Carnegie Hall at 2:30 p.m., will also serve as a tribute to Leonard Bernstein as part of the globe-spanning “Leonard Bernstein at 100” celebration in honor of the musician’s 100th birthday.
Lang Lang will host, and he brings with him performers from the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. Founded by the pianist nearly a decade ago, the foundation works to bring youth-centered music programs to communities around the world.
The young performers from the Lang Lang Foundation will take the stage alongside a number of renown musicians to perform arrangements spanning Bernstein’s catalog, specifically aiming to honor his “lifelong devotion to building bridges between genres, cultures, and social strata,” according to a press release.
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As an American-born and -educated conductor and composer, Bernstein often advocated for American conductors as they began their careers. The prolific composer earned praise from around the world. During his time with the New York Philharmonic — first as music director, before earning the lifetime title of Laureate Conductor — Bernstein logged more than half of his catalog’s 400 recordings.
The composer was widely awarded for his musical contributions, including the Handel Award and the Kennedy Center Honors. Bernstein’s reach expanded far beyond the music community, as he was an advocate for world peace, a supporter of Amnesty International and a champion of arts education, establishing the Bernstein Education Through the Arts Fund before his death in 1990.
Performers for the tribute include Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas, who, in addition to his music, is known for his community outreach work. Kiana Ledé, a 20-year-old singer, will bring a soulful mix of R&B, pop and hip-hop sounds to the stage. String trio Time for Three, the “classically trained garage band” with a sound that blends genres, such as pop, bluegrass and jazz, will also be performing.
Rounding out the lineup are singer-songwriter Ledisi and Grammy-winning singer Isabel Leonard. Ledisi, from New Orleans, is a noted champion of the arts and advocate for Michelle Obama’s Turnaround Arts Program. She performed multiple times at the White House for the Obama administration.
Leonard recently took on the lead role of Maria while performing Bernstein’s West Side Story with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The soprano, who won a best opera recording Grammy for Thomas Ades’ The Tempest, will close out the tribute to Bernstein, performing with the chorus from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts and members of the Harmony Program, as part of the Lang Lang partnership.
“Leonard Bernstein at 100” kicked off in September 2017, just after the legendary singer’s 99th birthday. There are over 1,000 performances on six continents planned over the next two years. Also planned is an exhibition with the Grammy Museum that will travel across the United States, showcasing pieces from his composing studio, among other Bernstein artifacts.
