Matini observed much of the concert from the first row. In the background: Destiny's Child. PHOTOGRAPHS ON THIS PAGE: COURTESY OF LILY MATINI
			Working with the Presidential Inaugural Committee on the Celebrating America’s Youth Concert By Lily Matini
	Matini was able to get her friend Abbie Turiansky, a sophomore from Shelburne, Vermont, into the concert. Matini paused with her father and his fiancée before leaving for the Texas Inaugural Ball, where she--co-president of the Oberlin Swing Society--lindy hopped the night away. More Photos		FEBRUARY 27, 2001--During the second Winter Term of my Oberlin career I was part of the Presidential Inaugural Committee Advance Team. The team was in charge of putting together one of the major inaugural events that took place: Celebrating America's Youth. The January 19 concert, at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., featured many celebrities: musicians Jessica Simpson, 98 Degrees, 9 Days, Lee Ann Womack, Destiny's Child, and Jaci Velasquez, emcees Jonathan Lipnicki, Dominique Dawes, Champ Bailey, Rachel C. Duffey (Rachel from MTV's Real World San Francisco), Joshua Arbiney, Billy Bush, George P. Bush, and Dara Torres, and speakers Mel Martinez, secretary of housing and urban development designee; Rod Paige, secretary of education; Colin Powell, secretary of state; and George W. Bush, President of the United States. My position for the concert was director of volunteer operations. Well before the concert I invited area schools and youth-related charitable organizations to the event. As the day of the concert got closer, I did anything and everything: organized 130 volunteers to usher the concert, greet ticket holders, and pass out concert paraphernalia such as glow sticks and posters, assembled the briefing book containing all the information the staff needed to know about the concert, organized and monitored ushers and volunteers who passed out things during the concert, was concert press liaison with the Presidential Inaugural Committee during the concert, and gave directions to the press, public-relations workers, photographers, and other media personnel. The briefing book was a whole piece of work in itself, containing information on ticketing, seating charts, script of the concert, holding rooms for all performers, emcees, and speakers, how to arrange secret service, media, staff, and security for those areas, Presidential Inaugural Committee contact directory, and arrival times, sound checks, and minute-by-minute movements for all performers, emcees, and speakers. Working on the project, I met an Oberlin alum, Robert Sheridan '70, executive producer of TBA Entertainment, the entertainment company we collaborated with. We had a great time chatting about Oberlin and working together on the concert. It was tons of work, but the most worthwhile experience ever. I met Destiny's Child and George P. and Billy Bush. (George P. Bush is George W. Bush's nephew and an advocate for the Latin community that supports the President, and Billy Bush is a radio personality in the Washington, D.C., area.) I was working too much to have a photo op or meet the President, but I was a few feet away from him, helping make sure the inaugural was going well all the while. I went to the Opening Ceremony before my event, and saw Ricky Martin, Denyce Graves '85, Larry King, Jon Secada, Muhammed Ali, Brooks and Dunn, Charlotte Church, Lorrie Morgan, Wayne Newton, and Andrew Lloyd Weber. I also went to the Texas Inaugural Ball and had a great time swing dancing to the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Mr. Fabulous, a swing band from Austin. People on campus ask me if I'm a Republican. I haven't declared a political-party dedication yet. I'm not a die-hard Republican or a bleeding-heart Democrat. I'm just me. Matini worked with Robert Sheridan '70 (left), executive producer of TBA Entertainment, and the company's creative producer, Kevin Underwood (right).
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