Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
Believe it: Washington’s own Kandie Stroud got to sing back up for Barry Manilow for PBS’s Fourth of July celebration on the mall! “I got lucky again,” she told Hollywood on the Potomac, “and got to sing back up for Barry. A group of us went down to the very front of the apron of the stage, literally the first row. Barry is very warm and very sweet. He comes out and he sings right in the middle of us. When he’s playing piano, which is sort of on the main stage, we have to turn and watch him, and then he picks up the microphone and he walks down to this little circle stage which projects out into the audience. Then he decided he was going to conduct us in the part where we sing, which is cool because you can really make eye contact with him. He’s a wonderful performer and it’s a thrill to sing with him. It’s the third time I’ve done it with him and it’s so exciting to sing with such a big performer.”
Barry Manilow
Stroud is a former chief Diplomatic Correspondent for CNN, has written for The New York Times, Newsweek, New York Times Magazine, and for 9 years was national correspondent for Women’s Wear Daily. She has produced award winning documentaries, appeared on network television and radio shows including The Today Show, Nightline and The Charlie Rose Show. Stroud wrote a best-selling book on the presidential campaign of President Jimmy Carter published by William Morrow entitled How Jimmy Won. She is also a choir member of The Choral Arts Society of Washington, which takes us back to Barry Manilow.
Kandie Stroud and ‘second alto’ Trish Ferrett who also sang backup for Barry – Photo courtesy of Kandie Stroud
“I sing with The Choral Arts Society of Washington for the entire concert in which we perform with the National Symphony Orchestra. We sang the 1812 Overture again, in Russian. We sang all the big patriotic songs – The Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful – and then we sang with Hunter Hayes. He’s like a 21 year old, 22 or 23 year old guy, plays 30 instruments, multiple award winner, and so we sang with him too. It’s just a big honor, but it’s also so many hours of rehearsals and was all ‘singin in the rain.’ Wednesday night was three hours, and then Thursday night I was down there for seven hours and then again on Friday night,” Stroud explained about the process of getting to the big night.
Hunter Hayes
“You had to be there early. We were in a big white tent … well, it was a small white tent for the rehearsal. We rehearsed with Brandon Straub who is our accompanist. Then you’re on stage, and then the orchestra’s constantly taking breaks, so you’re hanging around backstage forever. Then last night (Friday night), even though it was dress rehearsal and it was pouring rain, people were out there sitting in the rain. I was amazed that the whole lawn was full up to the steps of the Capitol. Even the rehearsal was a huge night. It’s amazingl. You look out and you’re looking at the Capitol building which is all lit up at night and there was a huge orange moon over the Capitol. It was just so dramatically beautiful. You just can’t believe you’re there, singing for the birthday of The United States, the country that we love so much. It’s very rewarding.”
Nicole Scherzinger & The Talent – Photos by Brendan Kownacki
“On Saturday night, since we knew the material, we didn’t have to be down there until 6:40 PM and the show was at 8 PM, so that was good. It’s broadcast live to 60 million people around the world on PBS.”
The Independence Day celebration was broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol before a concert audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, and our troops watching around the world on the American Forces Network. Celebrating 35 spectacular years on the air, A Capitol Fourth kicked off the country’s 239th birthday with an all-star musical extravaganza that puts viewers front and center for the greatest display of fireworks anywhere in the nation. Thank you PBS.
Executive Producer Jerry Colbert:
