Maura Healey will be sworn in as Massachusetts’ new governor on Thursday (January 5) alongside Kim Driscoll as the state’s new lieutenant governor, and the inauguration later that evening at TD Garden will have some notable star power on both a local and national level. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile will headline the festivities, with Boston rapper Oompa, fresh off her win as Live Artist of the Year at last month’s Boston Music Awards, taking the stage as well.
The “Moving the Ball Forward” inaugural celebration, a nod to Healey’s college and pro basketball background, will also include performances and appearances from Bruins national anthem singer Todd Angilly, Boston Arts Academy, Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, Lynn’s DJ Frenchy, disability rights organization Abilities Dance Company, Salem-based a capella group Witch Pitch, Springfield’s SciTech band, and others, according to Axios. The night will be emceed by Celtics PA announcer Eddie Palladino.
Healey is the first woman to be elected governor of Massachusetts and she is the first lesbian governor in the country. Healey and Driscoll will this week become the state’s first all-women executive leadership team.
In a statement, via the Herald, Healey says Carlile was chosen to headline the inauguration because her music “spans genres and explores themes of women’s empowerment, LGBTQ+ history and the joy of community.” Carlile, who lives in Washington state, married her wife, Catherine, in 2012 in Wareham, Massachusetts.
“I’ve been a fan of Brandi’s music for a long time, and it is so special that she will be a part of our inauguration,” says Healey. “I can’t think of a more perfect musician to bring us together for this celebration.”
Carlile admits she is “thrilled to be honoring two barrier-breaking women,” adding: “As forces across this country try to sow division and anger, it fills me with hope to see women like them lead us forward with positivity and empathy. Their victories were decades in the making, and we know there is more work ahead, but now is the time to pause and celebrate this historic moment.”
Tickets are priced at $25, with children under 12 admitted free of charge and a limit of six per customer. Get more information over at healeydriscollinaugural.com/tickets.