Remarks by Ambassador Wayne at USA Day Concert in the 34th Annual Buenos Aires International Book Fair

Sala Jose Hernandez – Pabellón Rojo: April 29, 2008

Thank you for being here this evening to celebrate “USA Day” at the 34th Annual Buenos Aires International Book Fair. We are proud to be hosting a special performance of the Buenos Aires Cross Over Orchestra under the direction of Jose Luis Cladera and featuring 34 outstanding Argentine musicians.  I want to extend a special thank you to each of you for lending your considerable talent and making this such a special occasion for all of us.  Your performance highlights the fact that the people of the United States and Argentina share many wonderful cultural traditions and values, one of which is a love of music.

I also want to take a moment to thank our sponsors American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Clarin, and the Faena Experience for their great support in helping to give our presence at the Fair such dynamic visibility and prominence.

We are very proud of the quality and variety of events we will offer at the Fair over these three weeks. These include a presentation by best-selling author Tom Wolfe and a lecture by Argentine-American astronaut Fernando “Frank” Caldeiro, among others. 

This evening to celebrate USA Day we wanted to share with you the special sound of the Big Band.  This exciting program provides a tour through different moments of our musical history with a few of our greatest artists.  We hope that you enjoy this outstanding Argentine group as they remember and honor such talented figures as Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Frank Sinatra.

Thank you.