[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[November 3, 1997]
[Pages 1491-1492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the 10th Anniversary of National Public Radio's
``Performance Today''
November 3, 1997

    Thank you very much, Martin. Ladies and gentlemen, as you can hear 
I'm still a little hoarse, but I'm delighted that you're here, and I'm 
delighted to be here. And I thank you for mentioning the biggest thrill 
I've had lately, the opportunity to conduct the National Symphony. 
Actually, I have been used to dealing with the Congress for so long now, 
I was surprised that they followed my lead. [Laughter] But we got 
through it just fine.
    Welcome. The first concert held in this magnificent house was on New 
Year's Day, 1801, when President John Adams invited the Marine Band to 
play. In nearly 200 years, there have been a lot of other concerts here. 
More than

[[Page 1492]]

a century ago, President Chester Arthur inaugurated the first concert 
right here in the East Room. And 20 years later, Theodore Roosevelt made 
showcasing the world's finest musicians in this room a standing 
tradition. Pablo Casals was among the first artists Theodore Roosevelt 
invited to perform, in 1904.
    It was more than 50 years later that the concert to which Martin 
referred at the outset of the performance tonight occurred, when Casals 
came back for another East Room performance when President and Mrs. 
Kennedy lived here. This was made even more momentous, of course, by the 
fact that his performance was enjoyed not simply by Cabinet members and 
diplomats gathered in the room but by Americans of all walks of life who 
could tune in on their radio stations and hear the concert.
    Hillary and I are very proud that we're able to continue this fine 
tradition tonight to have the finest of music, from classical to jazz to 
opera to gospel, with all Americans. We're honored to celebrate with you 
the 10th anniversary of ``Performance Today.'' It has been an 
extraordinary effort by National Public Radio. In just 10 years 
``Performance Today'' has become an important part of the lives of so 
many of our fellow Americans--1.5 million Americans in more than 200 
communities listen to ``Performance Today'' every single week, and I 
know its audience will surely grow. If every American could hear what we 
heard tonight, there would be a fire sale on radios throughout America 
and everyone would want 10 or 20 more.
    We want to do what we can to continue to support the young musicians 
we've heard tonight--and I consider them all young. [Laughter] Even 50 
is young to me. [Laughter] As part of our White House Millennium 
Initiative, we'll host a series of cultural showcases shining a 
spotlight on the next generation's most promising musicians, celebrating 
their great American creativity. Who knows what great musicians and 
composers will enliven our concert halls and airwaves in the 21st 
century--the next Marsalis or Graves or Roberts or Galway or Perahia or 
Ngwenyama? And thank you, young lady, by the way, for sticking up for 
the National Endowment for the Arts, as well. We appreciate you very 
much.
    All of these great performers who have been here tonight have made 
us feel a little more alive, a little more human, and a little more 
noble. We thank them. And perhaps the best way we can honor their gift 
to us tonight is by resolving to celebrate the gifts of the future, both 
in the White House and on ``Performance Today,'' for many, many years to 
come.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 8:45 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Martin Goldsmith, host of NPR's 
``Performance Today'' program; and musician Nokuthula Ngwenyama.