Who is Christopher Macchio? Meet the operatic tenor who sings the national anthem at the inauguration

WASHINGTON (AP) – Opera tenor Christopher Macchio will sing the national anthem at the 6 p.m The inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in front of a much smaller crowd than he expected, a letdown with a silver lining.

Monday’s ceremony has been moved indoors because temperatures are set to plummet, making it the coldest inauguration day in 40 years. The Capitol Rotunda only seats 600 people, while more than 250,000 guests were ticketed to watch the inauguration from across the Capitol grounds.

“I was looking forward to seeing 100,000 people spread across the National Mall,” Macchio, 46, said Saturday in an Associated Press interview. “Unfortunately, I won’t be getting the visual while performing, but it will still be such a huge honor.”

In fact, he said, “from a musical and vocal perspective, it’s actually a good thing” and that the performance will remain largely the same. Extreme weather conditions are unhealthy and uncomfortable for vocalists.

Macchio first entered Trump’s orbit about nine years ago when he was asked to fill in at the last minute for a New Year’s Eve event. He was such a hit that night that Rod Stewart, who was at the gala, asked Macchio to perform at his 70th birthday party. Macchio also sang at the 2020 White House memorial service for the Trumps brother Robertand this is where their friendship took hold.

Macchio appeared at the Republican National Convention in July with Trump convention in Butler, Pennsylvania, in October a few months after an assassination at the site, and during his Madison Square Garden rally close to the election. It was after the Butler meeting that Trump told Macchio, “I want to see you at the inauguration.”

“He didn’t really specify what that meant,” Macchio told the AP. But a few weeks later, Macchio got the call from a Trump staffer who said the tenor was the “first and only choice” to perform national anthem.

Lady Gaga sang the anthem at Joe Biden’s inauguration. Beyoncé performed at Barack Obama’s second inauguration. “America’s Got Talent” star Jackie Evancho sang it at Trump’s first inauguration.

Macchio knows some people have negative opinions about his long association with and support for Trump. But he hopes that even those who disagree with Trump politically can appreciate the music.

“For the people who maybe didn’t vote for President Trump, I hope they’ll give me that kind of opportunity to just listen and really connect with the music,” he said. “I’m going to do the national anthem and it’s meant to honor our great country.”

Macchio hopes to be an advocate for classical music education and is in discussions with the administration about how he can help in a more official capacity.

But for now, he is focused on Monday and planned to meet over the weekend with his fellow artists Carrie Underwood and Lee Greenwood and practice in the Capitol Rotunda.

“I’m a traditionalist,” he said. “I essentially want to deliver a straightforward rendition. And the only license I take is when it comes to the high notes. I tend to indulge a little and stretch the high notes.”

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Macchio sang at Rod Stewart’s 70th birthday party, not Trump’s.