American pianist Jacqueline Schwab, heard on many of Ken Burns’ American history documentaries (Grammy award-winning Civil War and others), will perform her newest program Be The Light, Inspired by the quintessential words of American poet Amanda Gorman, at the Inauguration of President Biden, "There is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it," Be the Light features traditional Celtic airs and dance tunes, vintage American parlor music, Tin Pan Alley pieces, African American spirituals, Ukrainian, Cuban, Venezuelan and Brazilian music and more. It celebrates hope and inner strength, an oasis of quiet reflection, peace and joy in challenging times.

Jacqueline will share stories about how historical tunes can speak to us today and create a ripple effect in the world. Jacqueline spins emotive musical stories out of the many strands in the American quilt, with traditional community music making at their heart. Her signature playing features in over a dozen of Ken Burns’ PBS documentary series, including his new The American Revolution, his Civil War, Baseball and many others, as well as in other PBS documentaries, such as The Irish in America—The Long Journey Home. She has performed at the White House for President Clinton and on American national PBS with the American Pops Orchestra, and she has accompanied Scottish singer Jean Redpath on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion and on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman. She has long been known in the traditional dance world for her playing with the Bare Necessities dance ensemble. Her most recent solo album I Lift My Lamp—Illuminations from Immigrant America celebrates vintage music from American immigrants. In the past, she has spent time in the UK researching 18th-century English dance tunes; she currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts, in the US.”