Behind the Scenes with Allison Seymour
Anchor, WUSA-TV’s Get Up DC!
“In times like ours it may seem we are becoming more divided along lines of race and politics. I believe music is a powerful tool that unites us as Americans and I pray that Living the Dream…Singing the Dream will help bring us closer together.” -Allison Seymour
Through two decades as a DC news anchor, Allison Seymour has informed, educated, and entertained the DC community. She brings her warmth and experience to co-host Living the Dream…Singing the Dream, co-presented by Choral Arts and Washington Performing Arts.
Choral Arts: Choral Arts is so excited about your role as a cohost in our virtual presentation of Living the Dream…Singing the Dream. Can you tell us about some of the other roles you fill?
Allison Seymour: I am Allison Seymour. I have been sharing my journey as a mother and wife while helping to wake people up in the Washington DC Metro area for more than 21 years as a news anchor and host. For most of my time in morning television, viewers saw me on WTTG-TV. At FOX5 I had the opportunity to deliver the news and interview local and national leaders, newsmakers and celebrities. But if 2020 taught us nothing else, it taught us that the only constant… is indeed change.
In November of 2020 I switched networks and took up residence at my current TV home, the CBS affiliate here in Washington, DC, WUSA9. These days, it is my privilege to wake up Washingtonians even earlier than before, beginning at 4:25 weekday mornings on “Get Up DC.” Our morning show offers a mix of local and national news, the all important weather and traffic, just a touch of opinion and plenty of laughter. I am truly grateful to have had such a long career in a field that I love in a city I call my hometown.
Choral Arts: What new understanding or experience do you hope viewers have in response to Living the Dream…Singing the Dream?
Allison Seymour: Music can truly touch the soul and soften the hardest and most weary heart, mind and spirit. Spirituals, gospel and folk music all served as the backdrop of the modern Civil Rights Movement. It motivated and inspired people to continue the often exhausting fight towards equality in the face of systemic racism. I believe that the Living the Dream…Singing the Dream choral concert is a truly fitting way to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who gave his life for the causes he championed.
I sincerely hope that all who attend will be inspired and deeply touched by this virtual concert that will incorporate different cultures, ages and genres. This long running choral tribute to Dr. King, is sure to further ignite a deep appreciation for the civil rights giant and the arts. In times like ours it may seem we are becoming more divided along lines of race and politics. I believe music is a powerful tool that unites us as Americans and I pray that Living the Dream…Singing the Dream will help bring us closer together.
Choral Arts: Can you share a moment when you’ve experienced awe?
Allison Seymour: The last time I experienced awe was during the Inauguration of our 46th President, Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. While the history making swearing in was phenomenal in and of itself, I was awestruck by the original poem delivered by Amanda Gorman, the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. At just 22 years old, this African American Harvard graduate so beautifully addressed the ongoing struggles we face as a Nation while offering hope for the future with her poem, “The Hill We Climb.”
Choral Arts: Have you ever felt music transform you?
Allison Seymour: I have been to many concerts in my life but one sticks out above the rest. When I was a little girl, my father took me to see the incomparable Nina Simone in concert. Ms. Simone’s music was not what I was used to listening to on my little record player (I had all the Jackson 5 records) but something about this stunning woman with the rich contralto voice sitting at the piano made me sit up and take notice. I’m not sure that at the time I understood all the themes of the music I was witnessing, but when she sang “To Be Young Gifted and Black” I knew the moment would live with me forever. It wasn’t only what she was saying but the pride and conviction she was saying it with. Later I would learn about Ms. Simone’s activism as well as her life story and ability to expertly perform different musical styles but in that concert hall that night with my Dad I was given a sense of pride and higher understanding about how music can shape the world, not to mention young minds.
Experience Choral Arts, Washington Performing Arts, and Allison Seymour at Living the Dream…Singing the Dream.
Upcoming Experiences
Living the Dream…Singing the Dream
FREE with Registration
JoAnn Falletta
Subscriber-Only Virtual Event
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