Lydia Harrell Sings National Anthem at Maura Healey's Inauguration The faculty vocalist talks about performing at the historic event earlier this month.
By
Alicia Taylor Bard
January 23, 2023
Left to right: Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Governor Maura Healey, and Berklee faculty member Lydia Harrell
Image by Judy Parker
It was an historic day. The nation watched as Maura Healey, Massachusetts's first female governor and one of the nations first two openly gay women elected governor, was sworn into office. And while all eyes were on Healey at the inauguration, those who watched or attended were in for a special treat: Lydia Harrell, an instructor in Berklees Voice Department, performed the national anthem at Healey's request.
Known as one of Boston's musical treasures because of her soulful, sultry voice, Harrell, a Michigan native, has been teaching at Berklee for more than four years. She is the winner of the 2015 Duke Ellington Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival Vocal Competition, and she won best song at the 48 Hour Film Project in Boston.
When shes not teaching, Harrell keeps a busy schedule performing locally and nationally. She plans to release new singles each quarter of this year, and also has a Billie Holiday show, called Lady Day, coming up at David Friend Recital Hall with some of her students on Tuesday, February 21.
Harrell has performed the national anthem at other major events, including several Boston Celtics games (she even sang the Canadian national anthem at one of those games). But performing at the inauguration, she says, was a dream come true. We caught up with Harrell for our Keyed In series to talk about her performance.
Lydia Harrell
Image by Ellen Sargent Korsh
Governor Healey made history by becoming the first woman and openly gay governor of Massachusetts. How does it feel to be part of that historic moment? Amazing! When I was first contacted to do it, I almost didn't believe it was real. I am so glad it was. I am truly honored to have been a part of this historic moment.
It's been said that when singing the national anthem you can't let yourself get stalled at beat three. Did you take that into consideration? I did not. I actually had to look that up. I have never heard of being stalled at beat three. Interesting. I wonder if it has to do with the time signature of the song. So many think that it is in four. However, it is actually in three.
Many would agree that the gold standard for the national anthem is Whitney Houston's rendition. As we know, many acclaimed singers have failed in their attempts. How did you prepare for your performance and what went into you deciding how you would perform it? I have been singing this song for a very long time. So, believe it or not, there was not a ton of preparation. I definitely practiced what key I would sing it in. I also worked out any new vocal things I wanted to possibly add. I slow down slightly at the end of the several phrases in this song. It is something I have done since the very first time I sang it in high school. I like doing this because it gives everyone a chance to digest what is being said in those phrases.
The national anthem has been controversial in recent years as it pertains to social justice. As a Black woman, did you think about that while you were singing it? I certainly did think of this. I always do. I often do not agree to sing this when asked at other events. I only sing it when it is something that means a great deal to me. I sincerely wish that we could change the national anthem to something new. There are so many beautiful songs written to honor this country. It is eye-opening and even somewhat alarming to know that The Star-Spangled Banner has lasted this long and is still going strong. It is also quite ironic that a Black woman's rendition of that song is the most popular. Black girl magic is real, y'all.
While this is not your first time performing the national anthem in front of a large crowd, what will you share with your students about your experience? I will, as I always do, share the entire experience with my students-from booking it to performing it and even what happened afterward. As an educator and performer, I feel it is my duty to share the experience with my students. I am happy to share whatever knowledge I have that will help them succeed.
Related Categories
Keyed In
News
Most Popular
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Announces Center Stage Performances for Spring 2023 The premier series will feature four performances showcasing the Conservatory's student talent across dance, music, and theater.
Latest
Image courtesy of the artist
Student Spotlight: Liam Purcell The seventh-semester mandolinist traces his path to Berklee back to his Appalachian bluegrass roots, discusses his ongoing touring work, and picks his five favorite songs of the moment.
Radio City Rockettes rehearse for the 2022 Christmas Spectacular. Photo courtesy of MSG Entertainment.
Radio City Rockettes and Boston Conservatory Partner on First-Ever, College-Level Rockettes Precision Dance Technique Course Students at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee College of Music will have the unique opportunity to receive precision training from the Radio City Rockettes as part of the curriculum.
A still from the video game Delfini.
Screen Scoring Students Earn Gaming Industry Nod with USC Collaboration Dzidzor Amorin and Julian Cabrera's work on the video game Delfini received a 2022 Indiecade Award nomination for audio design.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
15/11/2026
Mixers, interfaces & DAW controller receive new firmware
Yamaha have just launched a trio of firmware updates that bring some powerful new functionality to ...
15/11/2026
Can VideoProc AI Really Reduce Noise and Enhance Blurry, Old Footage? Real-World...
14/11/2026
Longtime MLB Network employee David Maybrown passed away Thursday at the age of 57. David joined MLB Network in 2009 shortly after its launch, beginning as an i...
14/11/2026
Modular innovators introduce two guitar-based products
ADDAC System's recently introduced Four String Series makes it possible to integrate physical str...
14/11/2026
Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
Lydia Harrell Sings National Anthem at Maura Healey's Inauguration The faculty vocalist talks about performing at the historic event earlier this month.
