Solange, Esperanza Spalding Performing at Alternative Inauguration Ball
By Matthew Strauss.
Solange has joined the lineup for a January 19 inauguration ball, The Washington Post reports. The event—Peace Ball: Voices of Hope and Resistance—is presented by Busboys and Poets, and takes place at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Peace Ball is a nonpartisan event that will “celebrate the accomplishments and successes of the past 4 years and the vow to continue to be the change we want to see in the world.” Among the other guests are Esperanza Spalding, Danny Glover, Melissa Harris-Perry, activist Angela Davis, and The Color Purple author Alice Walker.
Donald Trump has had a publicly difficult time finding artists to play at his sanctioned inaugural events. Teen opera singer Jackie Evancho will perform the national anthem at his inauguration, and other participating acts include the Rockettes, the Talladega Marching Tornadoes, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. At one point, a member of his team said Elton John would perform, but the artist and his manager quickly denied the claim.
Solange’s sister, Beyoncé, performed at both of Barack Obama’s inaugurations. In 2009, she sang at an inauguration ball, and in 2013, she performed “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Pitchfork named Solange’s A Seat at the Table the No. 1 album of 2016; Spalding’s Emily’s D+Evolution was named No. 30. Check out “The 50 Best Albums of 2016.”
Revisit our feature interview “Esperanza Spalding: Insubordinate by Nature.”
Watch Solange perform “Losing You” at Pitchfork Music Festival 2013:
This story originally appeared on Pitchfork.
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