After a few moments of warming up, the students took their positions. On their teacher’s count, the medley of instruments meshed into a jazz ensemble of horns, keys and strings.
It’s not uncommon to hear music playing at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Meeting the first lady of France, Brigitte Macron, is.
Macron and French President Emmanuel Macron will be honored guests at the White House on Thursday. While in the District, she stopped by the public performing arts school to meet students and teachers.
Miki Mulugeta, 17, a senior studying film, literary media and communications, took advantage of the opportunity by slipping the first lady a handwritten note.
“I thanked the first lady for her continued dedication to us,” Mulugeta said. “I hope she walks away with an understanding that Ellington is resilient. We love our arts. This is an important part of our existence.”
Duke Ellington was established in 1974 with a mission of providing a free, first-class arts education to children in the nation’s capital. It attracts students from across the city and is one of the few area arts schools that educate a mostly Black student body.
Brigitte Macron, a former educator, got a sampling of Duke Ellington’s offerings, including a photography exhibit curated by students in the museum studies department, a dance number from the musical “Jelly’s Last Jam” and a choral performance of the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Click here for full article. (Washington Post)
