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Skriven 2006-03-21 23:33:24 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0603212) for Tue, 2006 Mar 21
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Entertainment at the Luncheon in Honor of the Visit of Liberian President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
March 21, 2006

Entertainment at the Luncheon in Honor of the Visit of Liberian President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf



Performance

The seeds of MOVING IN THE SPIRIT (MITS) were sown in 1986 in an Atlanta
housing project by a pair of volunteers who believe in the inherently
positive spirit of young people. The primary goal of Moving in the Spirit
is to create transformation, possibility and promise. Through dance,
students are taught responsibility, respect, accountability, commitment and
discipline.

The hopeful vision of two young women has blossomed into a program that
annually serves more than 200 young people ages 3-18 throughout Atlanta.
MITS works predominantly with minority students from underserved
neighborhoods. The program allows participants to advance step by step,
offering classes of increasing frequency and intensity. Each level of
training is suited to the individual child's intellectual and technical
growth. Every year the program presents performances both locally and
nationally to audiences numbering in the thousands.

The MITS mentoring component fosters personal development by paring each
child with a volunteer adult mentor who helps to address academic needs,
promote positive life skills and provide expanded recreational and cultural
activities. MITS helps create successful young adults by training them to
be community leaders, as well as dancers. The program taps into the
students' creative spirit, inspiring and motivating them to achieve any
goals they can imagine.

Vocal Selections

DENYCE GRAVES, one of today's most sought-after vocal stars, has a
repertoire that includes opera, German Lieder, French m lodie, and English
art songs, as well as Broadway favorites, jazz and spirituals. Ms. Graves
is a native of Washington, D.C., where she attended the Duke Ellington
School for the Performing Arts. She continued her education at Oberlin
College Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory.

Her performances this season include a tour throughout the U.S. with Andrea
Bocelli; a special appearance at the 50th anniversary gala of The
Washington Opera; and singing the title role in a new American opera,
Margaret Garner, which is based on the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. Ms.
Morrison also wrote the opera's libretto.

In response to the events of September 11, 2001, Ms. Graves gave a series
of benefit concerts, recorded a benefit album of patriotic songs, and was
asked by President Bush to sing in the National Prayer Service in
Washington's National Cathedral. She recently sang for President and Mrs.
Bush, among other dignitaries, at An American Celebration at Ford's
Theatre, a salute to American troops.

In 2003 Denyce Graves was appointed as a Cultural Ambassador for the United
States, and she now travels around the world under the auspices of the
State Department, appearing in good-will missions of musical performances,
lectures, and seminars. Ms. Graves has been the recipient of many awards,
including the Grand Prix du Concours International de Chant de Paris and
the Marian Anderson award, presented to her by Miss Anderson.

THOMAS REILLY is an acclaimed vocal coach and pianist who has been involved
in the music preparation of over 60 opera productions during his career. In
the Washington area, his work has included assignments as an Assistant
Conductor and Chorus Master with the Washington Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and
Summer Opera Theater.

He served as the principal coach and pianist for the opera workshop at the
Brevard Music Center in Brevard, North Carolina for several summers. In
Caracas, Venezuela, he served on the faculty of the Caracas Opera Center as
a vocal coach and chorus master and was a member of the musical staffs of
both the Opera Metropolitana and the Opera de Caracas. He is a former
faculty member of the Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of
America and is currently on the faculty of the Amalfi Coast Music Festival.

On the recital stage, Mr. Reilly has accompanied countless singers in
Washington venues including the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the Phillips
Gallery, and the National Gallery of Art.

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