Capitol Hill  on June 8, 2006

Meeting Senator John Sununu (R-NH)  and Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

Matt performed at a reception on Capitol Hill as part of the VSA “Start with the Arts” Festival.  It’s cool to be on Capitol Hill.  The building itself resonates history, and you see faces you recognize from the news just walking on by you in the halls.

We were honored to receive an invitation from one of our state's senators to visit him in his office on the Hill.  We traipsed over to Senator Sununu’s office and received a warm reception.  He spoke with us for a bit and posed for a photo.  We chatted with the staff members in his office.  The Senator could not attend the VSA reception, as he was headed back to NH, but we appreciated his having taken the time to meet us.  It’s not every day that one’s Senator extends an invitation to visit him.

After the visit with Senator Sununu, it was off to the VSA reception, where Matt performed for Members of the House and Senate.  One of the most recognizable faces there was Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA).  Although he was suffering from a painful back, he greeted people and shook hands and congratulated the VSA artists being honored at the reception.  We spoke with him briefly, but did not want to stress him physically.  Meeting him still made an impression on Matt, who was familiar with the Kennedy name.  Matt played one of his original compositions to kick off the reception and received cheers along with applause.  It was a wonderful reception to honor several extremely talented young artists, and Matt was honored to be a part of the event.