Laura Osnes, Lilli Cooper, and Javier Muñoz Open the Statue of Liberty Museum

The Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island opened to the public today following a dedication ceremony presented by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. The ceremony featured performances by Broadway's Laura Osnes, Lilli Cooper, and Javier Muñoz, who paid tribute to Irving Berlin by performing some of his iconic songs in celebration.

Berlin was inspired by the Statue of Liberty when he immigrated to New York with his family in 1893 while fleeing persecution and the pogroms. More than a half-century after his arrival at the foot of the Statute of Liberty, Irving Berlin stood in front of the marquee of the brand-new Broadway musical, Miss Liberty, a celebration of that same monument. Berlin not only wrote the music and lyrics to the new score – his sixteenth full score for Broadway – he also co-produced the show. Within six decades, Berlin had utterly transformed American popular song. The Statue of Liberty Museum honored Irving Berlin today, both as an immigrant who loved this country and as a songwriter who changed the face of American music.