This was my Facebook status for a short time: “Memorial Day is a day we reflect on the sacrifices American men and women have made to secure the freedoms we all enjoy. It is also a day to have our pictures taken with superstars.”

And superstars there were at the national Memorial Day concert given by the National Symphony on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.  Among the performers were Laurence Fishburne, Gary Sinise, Lang Lang, Trace Adkins, and Katie Holmes.

The actual performing demands for the Chorus were pretty minimal, and frankly, once we arrived on site there wasn’t that much for me to do.  Erich Kunzel was conducting the orchestra so I just made sure the military folks were treated well.  Apparently, they hadn’t in years past.

On the day of the dress rehearsal, some of our guys had the opportunity to speak with Trace Adkins after his sound check.  Yikes, this is a BIG guy.  And what a voice!

And onto more stars…how about Laurence Fishburne…

…and Katharine McPhee…

…and Gary Sinise…

But here’s the big one…where you find Katie Holmes you’re sure to find Tom Cruise!

Both of them were very kind to stop for photographs after the show…

A brief observation on movie stars, having not spent much time around them: these people know how to pose for a picture.  It seems like not much of a talent or skill, but point a camera in their direction and ask for a photo and they’re instantly poised to be on the cover of People.  That was actually a fascinating thing to watch.

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