Dinner is Served

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a State Dinner

Pablo Casals performing, guests watching (White House/Cecil Stoughton/JFK Library and Museum)

Cellist Pablo Casals performs at a state dinner in honor of the governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín. (White House/Cecil Stoughton/JFK Library and Museum)

Cellist Pablo Casals performs at a state dinner in honor of the governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín. (White House/Cecil Stoughton/JFK Library and Museum)

Pablo Casals

Pablo Casals interacting with John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, attendees (White House/Robert Knudson/JFK Library and Museum)

Cellist Pablo Casals stands before the audience after a performance at a dinner in honor of the governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín. (White House/Robert Knudson/JFK Library and Museum)

Cellist Pablo Casals stands before the audience after a performance at a dinner in honor of the governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín. (White House/Robert Knudson/JFK Library and Museum)

A meaningful performance. The Spanish cellist headlined the 1961 state dinner that the Kennedys held for Luis Muñoz Marín, the governor of Puerto Rico. Casals lived in Puerto Rico at the time because he opposed the dictatorship in Spain. One of the songs he performed, “Song of the Birds,” is a Catalan Christmas carol that, according to the Kennedy Presidential Library, symbolized Spain as well as Casals’ feelings for hope and freedom.  

Pablo Casals performs “Song of the Birds” at the White House on November 13, 1961. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library)

Pablo Casals performs “Song of the Birds” at the White House on November 13, 1961. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library)

This site is managed by the Bureau of Global Public Affairs within the U.S. Department of State. External links to other internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.