WASHINGTON (AP) — Opera tenor Christopher Macchio will sing the national anthem at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration before a much smaller crowd than he expected, a disappointment with a silver lining.
Monday’s ceremony was moved indoors because temperatures are falling, making it the coldest Inauguration Day in 40 years. The Capitol Rotunda holds only 600 people, while more than 250,000 guests had tickets to watch the inauguration around the Capitol grounds.
“I was looking forward to seeing 100,000 people on the National Mall,” Macchio, 46, said in an interview with the Associated Press on Saturday. “Unfortunately I won’t be able to see this picture during my performance, but it will still be a great honor.”
In fact, he said, “it’s a good thing from a musical and vocal perspective,” and that the performance will remain largely the same. Extreme weather conditions are unhealthy and uncomfortable for singers.
Macchio first came into Trump’s orbit about nine years ago, when he was asked to step in at the last minute for a New Year’s Eve party. He was such a hit that Trump asked him to perform at his 70th birthday party that night. Macchio sang at the White House memorial service for Trump’s brother Robert in 2020, and that’s where their friendship developed.
Macchio appeared at the Republican National Convention in July, at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in October, a few months after an assassination attempt there, and at his rally at Madison Square Garden just before the election. After the Butler rally, Trump told Macchio, “See you at the inauguration.”
“He didn’t really specify what that meant,” Macchio told the AP. But a few weeks later, Macchio received a call from a Trump aide telling him that the tenor was the “first and only choice” to perform the national anthem.
Lady Gaga sang the anthem at Joe Biden’s inauguration. Beyoncé performed at Barack Obama’s second inauguration. “America’s Got Talent” star Jackie Evancho sang it at Trump’s first inauguration.
Macchio knows some people have a negative opinion of his long-standing association with and support for Trump. But he hopes those who disagree with Trump politically will also appreciate the music.
“For the people who may not have voted for President Trump, I hope they give me the opportunity to just listen and really connect with the music,” he said. “I will sing the national anthem and it will be a tribute to our great country.”
Macchio hopes to be an advocate for classical music education and is currently discussing with administration how he could lend a hand in a more official capacity.
But for now, he’s focused on Monday and plans to meet up with fellow artists Carrie Underwood and Lee Greenwood this weekend and rehearse in the Capitol Rotunda.
“I’m a traditionalist,” he said. “I will essentially provide a straightforward rendition. And the only license I take is with the high notes. I tend to lean in a little and stretch out the high notes.”
