Statement from Colonel Michael J. Colburn, Director of "The President's Own" Marine Band, which plays in every Inauguration

When considering the issue of performing to a pre-recorded track, I always ask myself this simple question: What is the alternative? Once the decision has been made that live performance is impossible or inadvisable, should the musicians just put their instruments down and listen to the recorded music along with everyone else, in spite of the fact that millions of viewers around the world are expecting a performance? I'm confident that no musician would choose a performance to a pre-recorded track over a live performance, but it has become a necessary skill in a society that has become so accustomed to visual media. If performing live is impossible, it seems that performing to one's own recording is the next best thing.

As the host of the quartet's recording session at John Philip Sousa Band Hall, home of the Marine Band, I was in a unique position from which to witness the entire recording session. From the moment these incredibly talented musicians arrived at our facility, it was clear that they were thrilled and honored to be sharing their talents in the Inauguration of our 44th President. Throughout every moment of the rehearsal and recording session, it was obvious that they were each committed to the best possible performance, and every measure of the music was infused with their exuberance and abundant talent.

Having personally witnessed the genuine enthusiasm of the quartet members and Mr. Williams, who was on hand to supervise the rehearsal and oversee the recording process, I must confess that I was disappointed to learn that these artists were being criticized for performing to a pre-recorded track. Try as I might, I do not understand why their inspired performance is any less meaningful because it occurred on January 18 instead of January 20. No one wanted to perform this work on the Inaugural platform more than these committed musicians, but they understood that the most important thing on that historic day was the music. As Duke Ellington might have said, if it doesn't sound good, it isn't good, and these consummate professionals knew that, given the conditions, there was only one way to make it sound good.

While I am flattered by the suggestion that the Marine Band musicians are somehow "tougher" than the quartet members because we performed live, this is simply not true. We played live because our instruments allowed us to, unlike the members of the quartet. One of the principal reasons wind ensembles were originally created back in the 18th century was to satisfy the need for music that was portable and could be used outside, in spite of weather conditions that would prevent a performance from stringed instruments or piano--the kind of conditions we saw on January 20, 2009.

Statement from Yo-Yo Ma

I was honored to be invited to participate in the Presidential Inauguration and perform with esteemed musicians Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill, and Gabriela Montero at such an historic event. I worked very closely with John Williams as he developed Air and Simple Gifts, the beautiful work he composed for the occasion, and was fully prepared to perform it live during the inauguration ceremony. When the unfavorably cold and dry weather conditions made it impossible to give a live performance of the work befitting of the occasion, we made the decision, not uncommon for outdoor events of this scale, to perform alongside our recording of the work. Our goal throughout the development, recording and performance of the piece was to serve the historic moment to the best of our abilities.