Throughout its 40-year history, the Kennedy Center Honors has redefined America's perception of its artistic legacy and reinvented the way this nation rewards its artists. The Honors have been compared to a knighthood in Britain, or the French Legion of Honor--the quintessential reward for a lifetime's endeavor. At the same time, the annual addition of new names to the roster of Honors recipients charts the international standard of excellence set by America's artists, as well as the aesthetic inspiration provided by artists of other nations who have achieved prominence on these shores. The annual Honors gala is an evening without categories, without disappointments, and without competition. And the Honors telecast, aired during the week between Christmas and New Year's, is a perennial Emmy nominee. It serves for millions of American arts lovers as the year's crowning event, paying tribute to our nation's preeminent artists with performances by the great stars of today who have followed in their footsteps. The complete list of guest performers is kept secret until the show is in progress, keeping both the Honorees and the nation on the edge of their seats.
Marian Anderson, Fred Astaire, George Balanchine, Richard Rodgers, and Arthur Rubinstein
Aaron Copland, Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Fonda, Martha Graham, and Tennessee Williams
Leonard Bernstein, James Cagney, Agnes de Mille, Lynn Fontanne, and Leontyne Price
Count Basie, Cary Grant, Helen Hayes, Jerome Robbins, and Rudolf Serkin
George Abbott, Lillian Gish, Benny Goodman, Gene Kelly, and Eugene Ormandy
Katherine Dunham, Elia Kazan, Frank Sinatra, James Stewart, and Virgil Thomson
Lena Horne, Danny Kaye, Gian Carlo Menotti, Arthur Miller, and Isaac Stern
Merce Cunningham, Irene Dunne, Bob Hope, Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe, and Beverly Sills
Lucille Ball, Ray Charles, Hume Cronyn & Jessica Tandy, Yehudi Menuhin, and Antony Tudor
Perry Como, Bette Davis, Sammy Davis, Jr., Nathan Milstein, and Alwin Nikolais
Alvin Ailey, George Burns, Myrna Loy, Alexander Schneider, and Roger L. Stevens
Harry Belafonte, Claudette Colbert, Alexandra Danilova, Mary Martin, and William Schuman
Dizzy Gillespie, Katharine Hepburn, Risë Stevens, Jule Styne, and Billy Wilder
Roy Acuff, Betty Comden & Adolph Green, Fayard & Harold Nicholas, Gregory Peck, and Robert Shaw
Lionel Hampton, Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward, Ginger Rogers, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Paul Taylor
Johnny Carson, Arthur Mitchell, Georg Solti, Stephen Sondheim, and Marion Williams
Kirk Douglas, Aretha Franklin, Morton Gould, Harold Prince, and Pete Seeger
Jacques d'Amboise, Marilyn Horne, B.B. King, Sidney Poitier, and Neil Simon
Edward Albee, Benny Carter, Johnny Cash, Jack Lemmon, and Maria Tallchief
Lauren Bacall, Bob Dylan, Charlton Heston, Jessye Norman, and Edward Villella
Bill Cosby, Fred Ebb & John Kander, Willie Nelson, André Previn, and Shirley Temple Black
Victor Borge, Sean Connery, Judith Jamison, Jason Robards, and Stevie Wonder
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Chuck Berry, Plácido Domingo, Clint Eastwood, and Angela Lansbury
Julie Andrews, Van Cliburn, Quincy Jones, Jack Nicholson, and Luciano Pavarotti
James Earl Jones, James Levine, Chita Rivera, Paul Simon, and Elizabeth Taylor
James Brown, Carol Burnett, Loretta Lynn, Mike Nichols, and Itzhak Perlman
Warren Beatty, Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, Elton John, Joan Sutherland, and John Williams
Tony Bennett, Suzanne Farrell, Julie Harris, Robert Redford, and Tina Turner
Zubin Mehta, Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, Steven Spielberg, and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, Martin Scorsese, and Brian Wilson
Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Barbra Streisand, Twyla Tharp, and The Who (Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey)
Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert De Niro, and Bruce Springsteen
Merle Haggard, Jerry Herman, Bill T. Jones, Paul McCartney, and Oprah Winfrey
Barbara Cook, Neil Diamond, Yo-Yo Ma, Sonny Rollins and Meryl Streep are the honorees at the 34th annual celebration hosted by Caroline Kennedy. Performers and presenters include Bill Cosby; Robert De Niro; Herbie Hancock; Anne Hathaway; Jennifer Nettles; Mike Nichols; Sarah Jessica Parker; Lionel Richie; Smokey Robinson; James Taylor; and Tracey Ullman.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced the selection of the seven individuals who will receive the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors. Recipients to be honored at the 35th annual national celebration of the arts are: bluesman Buddy Guy, actor and director Dustin Hoffman, comedian and television host David Letterman, ballerina Natalia Makarova, and rock band Led Zeppelin. While Led Zeppelin is being honored as a band, keyboardist/bassist John Paul Jones, guitarist Jimmy Page, and singer Robert Plant will each receive the Kennedy Center Honors.
The Kennedy Center celebrates five extraordinary individuals who have spent their lives elevating the cultural vibrancy of our nation and the world," said Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein. "Martina Arroyo has dazzled the world with her glorious soprano voice and continues to share her artistry with a new generation of opera singers; Herbie Hancock has established himself as one of the most innovative musicians in the world, constantly breaking musical barriers and redefining the art of jazz; Billy Joel's melodies have provided the soundtrack of our lives for over four decades making him one pop music's most prolific and memorable singers and songwriters; the remarkable breadth and range of Shirley MacLaine's acting has left an indelible impression over a nearly 60-year career on stage and screen; from his legendary performance at Woodstock to his sweep at the 2000 Grammys and beyond, Carlos Santana's artistry transcends genres while entertaining millions.
El Centro John F. Kennedy para las Artes Escénicas anunció hoy la selección de las cinco personas que recibirán el 2014 Kennedy Center Honors. Los galardonados en la 37a celebración nacional anual de las artes son: el cantante Al Green, el actor y cineasta Tom Hanks, la bailarina Patricia McBride, el cantautor Sting y la comediante Lily Tomlin.
The Kennedy Center announced the selection of the six Honorees who will receive the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. Recipients to be honored at the 38th annual national celebration of the arts are: singer-songwriter Carole King, filmmaker George Lucas, actress and singer Rita Moreno, conductor Seiji Ozawa, and actress and Broadway star Cicely Tyson.
The 2016 Kennedy Center Honors recipients to be honored at the 39th annual national celebration of the arts are: Argentine pianist Martha Argerich, rock band the Eagles, screen and stage actor Al Pacino, gospel and blues singer Mavis Staples, and musician James Taylor.
The 40th Kennedy Center Honors presented awards to American dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, Cuban American singer-songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan, American hip hop artist and entertainment icon LL COOL J, American television writer and producer Norman Lear, and American musician and record producer Lionel Richie.
On December 2, 2018, the Kennedy Center held its 41st annual national celebration of the arts — The Kennedy Center Honors. The 2018 Honorees include singer and actress Cher, composer and pianist Philip Glass, Country music entertainer Reba McEntire, and jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter.
R&B collective Earth, Wind & Fire, actress Sally Field, singer Linda Ronstadt, children's television program Sesame Street, and conductor and musical visionary Michael Tilson Thomas are honored as they receive tributes during the 42nd annual installment of the Kennedy Center Honors
The year's honorees are choreographer and actress Debbie Allen, singer-songwriter and activist Joan Baez, country singer-songwriter Garth Brooks, violinist Midori, and actor Dick Van Dyke.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is proud to celebrate the 44th Honorees for lifetime artistic achievements: operatic bass-baritone Justino Díaz, Motown founder, songwriter, producer, and director Berry Gordy, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, legendary stage and screen icon Bette Midler, and singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell.
In a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House, the 2022 Honorees including George Clooney, U2, Gladys Knight, Amy Grant, and Tania León will be saluted by today’s leading performers from New York, Hollywood, and the arts capitals of the world. They will accept the recognition and gratitude of their peers through show stopping performances and emotional tributes.
Entertainers receive recognition at the annual ceremony; the year's honorees are comic Billy Crystal, soprano Renée Fleming, singer-songwriter Barry Gibb, actress Queen Latifah and singer Dionne Warwick; Gloria Estefan hosts.
