Six-time Grammy Award-winning artist Brandi Carlile is tapped to headline the inaugural celebration for Gov.-elect Maura Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll’s administration at TD Garden on Thursday.
The occasion will rejoice a historic moment in Massachusetts as Healey becomes among the many first lesbian governors within the country, and the Healey-Driscoll Administration will represent the primary all-women Massachusetts leadership team. Healey is the primary woman elected governor of Massachusetts, though Jane Swift served in that position in 2001 after then-Gov. Paul Cellucci resigned to grow to be U.S. ambassador to Canada and Swift was elevated from lieutenant governor.
Their swearing-in ceremony, alongside members of the Governor’s Council, is slated for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5, on the House chamber.
Later that day, the “Moving the Ball Forward” inaugural celebration shall be held at TD Garden and will even feature performances by Todd Angilly, Boston Arts Academy students, the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, DJ Frenchy, Abilities Dance Company, Witch Pitch, OOMPA, and SciTech, and emceed by Eddie Palladio. Tickets will be found here.
“I’m thrilled to be honoring two barrier-breaking women in Maura Healey and Kim Driscoll this week,” Brandi Carlile said in a news release. “As forces across this country attempt to sow division and anger, it fills me with hope to see women like them lead us forward with positivity and empathy. Their victories were many years within the making, and we all know there’s more work ahead – but now could be the time to pause and rejoice this historic moment.”
Not only is Carlile a celebrated singer and musician, but she is a chart-topping Latest York Times bestselling creator. She’s released seven studio albums and her most up-to-date, “In These Silent Days,” has earned her one other seven nominations at this 12 months’s Grammy’s.
“I’ve been a fan of Brandi’s music for a very long time, and it’s so special that she shall be an element of our inauguration,” Healey said. “Brandi’s music spans genres and explores themes of girls’s empowerment, LGBTQ+ history, and the enjoyment of community. I can’t consider a more perfect musician to bring us together for this celebration.”
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Carlile is a founding member of The Highwomen, a rustic music group formed in 2019. She has also dedicated herself to philanthropy, having founded the Looking Out Foundation, which has raised over $3 million for grassroots causes.
The “Move the Ball Forward” inaugural celebration will open doors at 5 p.m. and this system starts at 6 p.m.