The Performers of 2024's National Memorial Day Concert

The National Memorial Day Concert 2024 airs on WTTW Sunday, May 26 at 7:00 and 8:30 pm.

A holiday weekend tradition returns for its 35th year as PBS broadcasts The National Memorial Day Concert from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. This annual tribute to military personnel and their families mixes personal stories from the military with musical performances by celebrities, the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jack Everly, and various military performing groups. It is once again hosted by actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, who both have Chicago ties.

Meet the star performers below. 

Bryan Cranston

Cranston is a respected actor of stage and screen perhaps best known for the wildly different roles of Hal in Malcolm in the Middle and Walter White in Breaking Bad, the latter of which won him four Emmys and a Golden Globe. He has also won two Tony Awards and been nominated for an Academy Award. 

Cynthia Erivo

The British actress and singer Erivo first made her name on stage, in The Color Purple. She's a lead in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked and starred in the Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet, a role for which she garnered Oscar nods. She's already won the other three big performing awards: Tony, Emmy, and Grammy. 

Jena Malone

An actress whose career started when she was young, Malone has mostly been seen in films, from Donnie Darko to Pride & Prejudice to The Hunger Games.

BD Wong

Wong is best-known as a stage actor and has won a Tony, but he has also appeared in TV shows such as Mr. Robot and films, including as a voice actor in the original Mulan.

Patina Miller

Miller is another stage actress with a Tony and some TV shows to her name, including Madam Secretary and the PBS drama Mercy Street, in which she played the abolitionist Charlotte.

Gary LeVox

You may not recognize his name, but you probably know his band, the recently disbanded country rock Rascal Flatts, for which he is the lead singer. 

Mary McCormack

McCormack is a film, television and stage actor. She was nominated for a Tony for her role in Broadway’s Boeing-Boeing, and she has appeared on The West Wing, Heels, The Newsroom, Scandal, House of Lies, and more.

Jamey Johnson

Johnson is another country music singer. He writes songs both for himself and artists such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, George Strait, and more. 

Ruthie Ann Miles

Miles has made her name in musicals such as The King and I, David Byrne's Here Lies Love, and the recent Sweeney Todd revival.