Ever the pioneer, Lizzo crossed disconnected different archetypal during the Washington, DC halt of her circuit – playing an astir 200-year-old crystal flute that belonged to a erstwhile US president.
The “About Damn Time” vocalist and accomplished flutist cautiously played the delicate woodwind, which was sent arsenic a acquisition to James Madison successful 1813 by the French flute shaper Claude Laurent. The Library of Congress has maintained the flute successful its vault for decades earlier allowing Lizzo to play it onstage.
In footage shared by concertgoers, Lizzo excitedly and delicately handled the flute nether the cautious ticker of Library unit and Capitol Police. She concisely shared the past of the flute with her assemblage and said she was “the archetypal idiosyncratic to ever play it.”
“B***h, I’m scared,” she said to the audience’s laughter. “It’s crystal. It’s similar playing retired of a vino glass, b***h, truthful beryllium patient.”
She played a enactment connected the crystal flute, pausing excitedly aft it made a sound, according to a video Lizzo shared connected societal media. Then, she blew a fewer much fluttery notes connected it, cautiously twerking arsenic she played, arsenic is her signature. After a fewer seconds, she held the flute precocious successful the air, victorious, and cautiously returned it to the unit waiting a fewer feet away.
“B,***h, I conscionable twerked and played James Madison’s crystal flute from the 1800s,” she said incredulously. “We conscionable made past tonight!”
Lizzo past thanked the room for “preserving our history” and reminded her fans that “history is freaking cool.”
Earlier this week, the Library of Congress invited Lizzo to sojourn its postulation of 1,700 flutes, the largest successful the world, per the Library. She cautiously played the flute determination archetypal earlier she “serenaded employees and a fewer researchers” with a “more practical” woodwind, the Library said.

Lizzo asked the Library if she could play the famed flute for a fewer moments during her Washington show, and the Library obliged, though it sent Capitol Police and respective different staffers successful complaint of information on with the flute to guarantee its safety.
The caller Emmy winner regularly plays the flute during her concerts and has experimented with different uncommon and invaluable flutes, including an 18k-gold instrument, though she’s partial to 1 woodwind named Sasha Flute.
The flute is exceptionally rare: the Library of Congress has 20 Laurent-made flutes successful its vault, but it’s lone 1 of 2 made of crystal, according to the Library. Madison’s custom-made flute contained a metallic joint, engraved with his name.
But its travel to the Library’s postulation was circuitous and took implicit 100 years. The flute whitethorn person been saved by archetypal woman Dolley Madison during the White House occurrence successful 1814, the Library said. It came into the possession of Dolley Madison’s lad from her archetypal marriage, John Payne Todd, who bequeathed it to Washington-based Dr. Cornelius Boyle.
Boyle’s descendents allowed the flute to beryllium displayed successful 1903 astatine the US National Museum, an archetypal portion of the Smithsonian Institution, until Dayton C. Miller, different doc and woodwind enthusiast, purchased it. He aboriginal donated the crystal flute, on with 1,700 instruments, to the Library successful 1941, wherever the flute has remained until its signifier debut with Lizzo.