Obama Hosts Kennedy Center Honorees
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SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Several of of the country’s biggest figures from film and music were recognized at the White House Sunday for their mark on the performing arts.
Actress Shirley MacLaine, along with musicians Carlos Santana, Billy Joel, Herbie Hancock and opera soprano Martina Arroyo each received achievement awards at the annual Kennedy Center Honors gala Sunday night. But first, President Obama welcomed them to the nation’s capital with a smaller reception in the executive residence.
“President Kennedy once said of such a great genius that ‘the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist, is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may.’ Now that’s easy to say when, as they do for these artists, the chips usually fall in your favor, whether at Woodstock or the Oscars or elite venues all over the world. But the fact is the diverse group of extraordinary individuals we honor today haven’t just proven themselves to be the best of the best,” Obama said. “Despite all their success, over fame they’ve remained true to themselves and inspired the rest of us to do the same.”
The president recounted each recipient’s contributions to his audience: Arroyo’s humble beginnings in Harlem redefined “what magnificent artists look like and where they come from;” jazz artist Hancock’s world tours as a UNESCO ambassador; Santana giving voice to a rising Latino community; Joel’s depictions of working class American struggles; MacLaine’s wide performance range from Alfred Hitchcock to Downton Abbey.
“Each of our brilliant honorees has given us something unique and enriched us beyond measure, as individuals and as a nation,” Obama said. “Together they bring us closer to President Kennedy’s vision of the arts as a great humanizing and truth telling experience. Their triumphs have lifted our spirits and lifted our nation, and left us a better, richer place.”
Obama’s humor was also on display Sunday night, commenting on 73-year-old Hancock’s “spooky Dorian Gray doesn’t get older thing,” and Santana’s lifestyle.
“Before Carlos Santana took the stage at Woodstock few people outside his hometown of San Francisco knew who he was, and the feeling was mutual: Carlos was in such a, shall we say, ‘altered state of mind,’ that he remembers almost nothing about the performance,” he joked.
The Kennedy Center Honors has no categories or competition, selecting recipients solely for lifetime contributions to entertainment culture.
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