potrero view

February 2009

Potrero Hill Eighth-Grader Sings at the Inauguration

By Josy Hicks Jablons

I’ve been a member of The San Francisco Girl’s Chorus (SFGC) for seven years, and never dreamed we’d be singing to a crowd of millions.  Even more amazing is that we would be the only youth group to sing at President Obama’s inauguration.  

Last November Senator Dianne Feinstein asked SFGC and The San Francisco Boys Chorus to send her a compact disc of our version of America the Beautiful.  We had only a few days to rehearse and record.  Then the shocking news arrived.  We’d be singing on the Capitol steps during the inauguration.  

We had less than a month to perfect six songs with The Boys Chorus, with whom we don’t normally sing.   On January 16 we boarded a plane that barely accommodated us all on our way to Washington, D.C.  On the plane the 43 girls who make up SFGC’s touring group, Chorissima, sang America the Beautiful.  It was powerful to see so many of the passengers begin to cry.  It really showed me how meaningful Barack Obama’s presidency is to so many people.  We had Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums on our plane, who said that he was very moved by our performance.  

We were invited to stay at Foxcroft, a girl’s boarding school in Virginia.  The most memorable thing about arriving in DC and Virginia was how cold it was.  I thought I was prepared for the cold weather but I wasn’t.  For six days I was cold, cold, cold.  

We rehearsed all the way up to the big day.  On Tuesday the 20th we awoke at 2 a.m., dressed in our costumes, and at 3 a.m. drove to the outskirts of D.C.  We had to wait in the bus for a security check and a police escort, fortunately sleeping most of the time.  At 6 a.m. police and their dogs came on the bus.  After the security check we had multiple police behind and in front of the bus escorting us to DC.  It was exciting to zoom passed hundreds of buses with the police sirens blaring.  

We were taken to the Russell Senate Office Building, where we made our final preparations.  The announcer introduced The San Francisco Girls Chorus and The San Francisco Boys Chorus to the millions of people.  We sang our six songs; my favorite song that we sang was Hymn to Freedom by Oscar Peterson.  I like this song because it was one of Martin Luther King’s favorite songs, and the lyrics were perfect for this momentous occasion.  The lyrics are:  

 

When every heart joins every heart and together yearns for liberty,

That’s when we’ll be free.

When every hand joins every hand and together molds our destiny,

That’s when we’ll be free. 

Any hour any day, the time soon will come when all will live in dignity, 

That’s when we’ll be free, we will be

When everyone joins in our song and together singing harmony,

That’s when we’ll be free.


We held hands during this song, which seemed to have been written for just this occasion.   

One of the best parts about singing at the inauguration was that once we were finished we stayed seated on the steps right next to all the governors, senators and members of congress.  We were within 50 feet of President Obama.  Listening to Obama’s amazing speech and looking out onto the crowd that stretched to the Washington Memorial was inspiring.  This experience has had a huge impact on me.  I feel like I now really understand the import of Obama’s presidency.  Just as music fills me with hope and peace Obama has brought much needed hope and peace to millions of people throughout the world.  

Josy Hicks Jablons is a Potrero Hill resident and eighth grader at The San Francisco School.  She traveled to Washington with fellow Girls Chorus member Carla Tamayo, who also lives on the Hill and attends Urban High School.

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