Kennedy Center | |
.jpg) Kennedy Center seen from thePotomac River | |
  John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Location within Central Washington, D.C. Show map of Central Washington, D.C. John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Address | 2700 F Street, NW |
|---|---|
| Location | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Coordinates | 38°53′45″N77°03′21″W / 38.8957°N 77.0559°W /38.8957; -77.0559 |
| Public transit |  Washington Metro   atFoggy Bottom–GWU (via Kennedy Center shuttle) Metrobus:D10 |
| Owner | United States government |
| Operator | John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
|
| Type | Performing arts center |
| Capacity | Concert Hall: 2,465 Eisenhower Theater: 1,161 Family Theater: 320 Jazz Club: 160 Millennium Stage: 235 Opera House: 2,347 Terrace Theater: 490 Theater Lab: 398 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | December 2, 1964 |
| Opened | September 8, 1971 (1971-09-08) |
| Architect | Edward Durell Stone |
| Structural engineer | Severud Associates |
| General contractor | John McShain |
| Tenants | |
| National Symphony Orchestra | |
| Website | |
| kennedy-center | |
TheJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as theKennedy Center, is the nationalcultural center of the United States, serving as a "living memorial" toJohn F. Kennedy. Located on the eastern bank of thePotomac River inWashington, D.C., the center opened September 8, 1971, and hosts many genres of performance art, spanning theater, ballet, modern dance, classical music, jazz, pop,psychedelic, andfolk music. The Kennedy Center is the residence of theNational Symphony Orchestra.[1]
Authorized by the National Cultural Center Act of 1958, which requires that its programming be sustained through private funds, the center represents apublic–private partnership. Its activities include educational and outreach initiatives, almost entirely funded through ticket sales and gifts from individuals, corporations, and private foundations. The center receives annual federal funding to cover building maintenance and operations.
The original building, designed byEdward Durell Stone, is administered as a bureau of theSmithsonian Institution. An extension designed bySteven Holl opened in 2019.
In 1968, George London became the Kennedy Center's first executive director. In 1991, Lawrence Wilker became its first president. In 2014,Deborah Rutter became its third president and the first woman to hold the post.
In 2025, PresidentDonald Trump dismissed the center's board of trustees and appointed new members, who elected him chairman and voted to add his name to the center.[2][3] After ticket sales dropped, artists canceled performances, and theWashington National Opera ended its half-century of residence,[4] Trump announced in February 2026 that the center would close for two years of renovations, beginning in July 2026.[5]
The idea for a national cultural center dates to 1933 whenFirst LadyEleanor Roosevelt discussed ideas for theEmergency Relief and Civil Works Administration to create employment forunemployed actors during theGreat Depression.[6]Congress heldhearings in 1935 on plans to establish aCabinet level Department of Science, Art and Literature, and to build a monumental theater and arts building onCapitol Hill near theSupreme Court building. A 1938 Congressional resolution called for the construction of a "public building which shall be known as theNational Cultural Center" nearJudiciary Square, but this never materialized.[6]
The idea for a national theater resurfaced in 1950, whenU.S. representativeArthur George Klein of New York introduced a bill to authorize funds to plan and build a cultural center. The bill included provisions that the center would prohibit any discrimination of cast or audience. In 1955, theStanford Research Institute was commissioned to select a site and provide design suggestions for the center.[7] From 1955 to 1958, Congress debated the idea amid much controversy. A bill was finally passed in Congress in the summer of 1958, and on September 4, PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Cultural Center Act into law, which provided momentum for the project.[8]
This was the first time that thefederal government helped finance a structure dedicated to the performing arts. The legislation required a portion of the costs, estimated at $10–25 million, to be raised within five years of the bill's passage.[9] Edward Durell Stone was selected as architect for the project in June 1959.[10] He presented preliminary designs to the President's Music Committee in October 1959, along with estimated costs of $50 million, double the original estimates of $25–30 million. By November 1959, estimated costs had escalated to $61 million.[11] Despite this, Stone's design was well received in editorials inThe Washington Post,Washington Star, and quickly approved by theUnited States Commission of Fine Arts,National Capital Planning Commission, and theNational Park Service.[12]
The National Cultural Center Board of Trustees, a group President Eisenhower established on January 29, 1959, led fundraising.[9] Fundraising efforts were not successful, with only $13,425 raised in the first three years.[13] President John F. Kennedy was interested in bringing culture to the nation's capital, and provided leadership and support for the project.[14] In 1961, Kennedy askedRoger L. Stevens to help develop the National Cultural Center, and serve as chairman of the board of trustees. Stevens recruited First LadyJacqueline Kennedy as the center's honorary chairman, and former First LadyMamie Eisenhower as co-chairman.[15] In January 1961,Jarold A. Kieffer became the first executive director of the National Cultural Center, overseeing numerous fundraising efforts and assisting with the architectural plan.[16]
At the time of theassassination of President Kennedy, the National Cultural Center had only raised $13 million. Its board then re-envisioned the project as a "living memorial” to him, and Congress renamed it the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1964.[17][18]
The total cost of construction was $70 million.[17] Congress allocated $43 million for construction costs, including $23 million as an outrightgrant and the other $20 million inbonds.[14] Donations also comprised a significant portion of funding, including $5 million from theFord Foundation, and approximately $500,000 from theKennedy family.[19][20] Other major donors includedJ. Willard Marriott,Marjorie Merriweather Post,John D. Rockefeller III, andRobert W. Woodruff, as well as many corporate donors.[20] Foreign countries provided gifts to the Kennedy Center, including a gift of 3,700 tons ofCarrara marble from Italy (worth $1.5 million) from theItalian government, which was used in the building's construction.[21]
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PresidentLyndon B. Johnson dug the ceremonial first shovel of earth at thegroundbreaking for the Kennedy Center December 2, 1964.[22] However, debate continued for another year over theFoggy Bottom site, with some advocating for another location onPennsylvania Avenue.[19]Excavation of the site got underway on December 11, 1965, and the site was cleared by January 1967.[23]
The first performance was September 5, 1971, with 2,200 members of the general public in attendance to see a premiere ofLeonard Bernstein'sMass in the Opera House,[17] while the center's official opening took place September 8, 1971, with a formal gala and premiere performance of the BernsteinMass.[24] The Concert Hall was inaugurated September 9, 1971, with a performance by theNational Symphony Orchestra conducted byAntal Doráti.[24]Alberto Ginastera's opera,Beatrix Cenci premiered at the Kennedy Center Opera House September 10, 1971. The Eisenhower Theater was inaugurated October 18, 1971, with a performance ofA Doll's House starringClaire Bloom.[25]
On June 16, 1971, Congress authorized appropriations for one year to the board of trustees for operating and maintenance expenses. In the following years, the appropriations were provided to the National Park Service for operations, maintenance, security, safety, and other functions not directly related to the performing arts activities.[26] The National Park Service and the Kennedy Center signed a cooperative agreement requiring each party to pay a portion of the operating and maintenance costs based on what proportion of time the building was to be used for performing arts functions. The agreement did not specify who was responsible for long-term capital improvement projects at the Kennedy Center, and it provided only periodic funding from Congress for one-time projects.[27]
In fiscal years 1991 and 1992, Congress recommended that $27.7 million be allocated for capital improvement projects at the center, including $12 million for structural repairs to the garage and $15.7 million for structural and mechanical repairs, as well as projects for improving handicapped access.[28] In 1994, Congress gave full responsibility to the Kennedy Center for capital improvement projects and facility management.[29] From 1995 to 2005, over $200 million of federal funds were allocated to the Kennedy Center for long-term capital projects, repairs, and to bring the center into compliance with modernfire safety and accessibility codes.[29] Improvements includedrenovation of the Concert Hall, Opera House, plaza-level public spaces, and a new fire alarm system.[30] The renovations projects were completed 13 to 50 percent over budget, due to modifications of plans during the renovations resulting inovertime and other penalties.[31] Renovations to the Eisenhower Theater were completed in 2008.[32]
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Beginning in 2013, the center commenced an 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) expansion project on four acres (1.6 ha) in the center's South Plaza. The expansion added classroom, rehearsal, and performance space and includes three pavilions (the Welcome Pavilion, the Skylight Pavilion, and the River Pavilion), areflecting pool, a tree grove, a sloping lawn to be used for outdoor performances, and apedestrian bridge overRock Creek Parkway.[33][34] The architect isSteven Holl,[34] with assistance from architectural firmBNIM.[35]Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects is the landscape architect.[36]
Plans for the expansion project began afterDavid M. Rubenstein donated $50 million to the center.[35] A groundbreaking ceremony took place in December 2014. Originally estimated at $100 million, the project cost grew to $175 million, and design changes and a majorD.C. sewer project significantly delayed construction. The expansion, entitled the REACH, opened on September 7, 2019, with an opening arts festival.[34][37][38] The fundraising goal for the REACH expansion grew to $250 million[39] as the project progressed, and the target was achieved just two days before opening. Since its opening, the REACH has received several design awards, such asThe Architect's Newspaper's Best of the Year Award in the Cultural category and an Honor Award in the 2020AIA New York Design Awards.[40][41]
On February 10, 2025, Trump appointedRichard Grenell as interim executive director[42][43], criticized the center'sdrag andLGBTQ programming, and vowed to set the performance slate.[44][45] He dismissed the appointed board members and appointed his own,[a] who elected him as chair on February 12.[47][48][49] The center soon canceled the national tour of the new children's musicalFinn (which containscoming-of-age themes); a Kennedy Center spokesperson called it "a purely financial decision".[50] Actors' unions, artists, and members of the public described the move as an attack on free speech and accessibility to the performing arts.[51] Artists began to cancel performances and otherwise disassociate themselves from the Kennedy Center. Among them areRhiannon Giddens,[52]Issa Rae,Renée Fleming,Shonda Rhimes, andBen Folds.[53]. Producers cancelled entire planned performance runs, including of the musicalHamilton and playEureka Day.[54]
In April, guitarist and composerYasmin Williams emailed Grenell to express her concern aboutDEI rollbacks and other changes made by Trump. She wrote, "These events have caused a major negative reaction in my musical community to playing at the Kennedy Center, with lots of individuals I know ultimately canceling their shows there". Grenell replied, "Every single person who cancelled a show did so because they couldn't be in the presence of Republicans," and "I cut the DEI bullshit because we can't afford to pay people for fringe and niche programming that the public won't support".[55] When Williams performed at the center in September, her performance was disrupted by a group ofLog Cabin Republicans whose seats had been reserved by Grenell's office.[56][57]
In May, the Kennedy Center board revised its bylaws to allow only trustees appointed by Trump to vote, thus excluding the board's 23ex officio members from voting or constituting a quorum. Center spokesperson Roma Daravi later said the revision to the bylaws reflected "longstanding precedent" and had passed unanimously with no objections.[58][59]
That same month, Washington Performing Arts announced that it was moving its 2025–26 season events to other venues.[60] Cast members withdrew from a June performance ofLes Misérables at the center that Trump planned to attend; Grenell called them "vapid and intolerant artists".[61] In June, Trump and his wifeMelania attended the opening night of the Center's performance ofLes Misérables and a fundraiser which was later held in the building to support the center.[62][63]
In July, Republicans on theUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies amended the 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies spending bill to include a clause that would rename the Kennedy Center Opera House to "Melania Trump Opera House". The amendment requires approval by the entire U.S. House of Representatives.[64][65]
In October, theWashington Post reported that ticket sales at the center had fallen drastically since Trump's takeover, reaching the lowest levels since theCOVID-19 pandemic.[66]
In November, a letter from SenatorSheldon Whitehouse said the Kennedy Center had become "a swamp for cronyism and self-dealing" under Grenell, citing contracts awarded to associates, rental-fee discounts for political allies, and luxury spending allegedly unrelated to fundraising. Grenell called the claims "partisan attacks and false accusations," while asserting that he achieved a balanced budget, cut development staff from 94 to 16, and implemented a new policy requiring events to be revenue-neutral.[67][68] Whitehouse continued an investigation of the Kennedy Center, launched in November by theSenate environment and public works committee (EPW).[69]
Trump hosted the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony on December 7, 2025, the first time a U.S. president has hosted the event, although many have attended.[70]The New York Times described it as Trump "putting his cultural takeover of Washington in sharp relief".[71]
On December 18, 2025, the Kennedy Center board—minus theex officio members whose votes had been nullified in May—voted to rename the center asThe Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, or theTrump-Kennedy Center. Federal statute holds that the center is named the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts[72][73]; the board cited no legal authority to rename the center.[74]
White House press secretaryKaroline Leavitt said the vote was unanimous. Butex officio member U.S. representativeJoyce Beatty said she "was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice [her] opposition to this move".[75][76]House Minority LeaderHakeem Jeffries and RepresentativeRick Larsen indicated that they were not present at the meeting;[77] Jeffries further stated, "The Kennedy Center Board has no authority to actually rename the Kennedy Center in the absence of legislative action, and we're going to make that clear."[77]
The center's website published a new logo on December 18,[78] and workers added Trump's name to the building'sfaçade the following day,[79] despite a federal statute prohibiting the addition of name plaques to public areas of the facility.[80]
The following week, Beatty filed suit against the Kennedy Center trustees who voted to change the name, arguing that they had no legal power to change the name.[81] Former congressmanJoe Kennedy III, grandnephew of John F. Kennedy, also expressed opposition to the name change, stating that the center was "named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."[75]
The name change triggered a new wave of cancellations by artists and companies.[82] In December, theAmerican College Theatre Festival suspended its 58-year partnership with the center.[83] Kristy Lee canceled her January 14 appearance.[84] MusicianChuck Redd, who had been hosting the annual Christmas Eve jazz concert, canceled the event, which had run for two decades at the center.[85][86] Richard Grenell subsequently sent Redd a letter criticizing his decision as a "political stunt" and saying he would seek $1 million in damages.[87] On December 29, after several more artists cancelled their events, Grenell stated, "Their actions prove that the previous team was more concerned about booking far left political activists rather than artists willing to perform for everyone regardless of their political beliefs."[88] On January 9, 2026, theWashington National Opera announced it would leave the center; artistic directorFrancesca Zambello said box office revenue had collapsed and donor confidence had been "shattered" since Trump's takeover.[89] Later that month, composerPhilip Glass announced he was withdrawing the scheduled world premiere of his Symphony No. 15, "Lincoln", from the venue.[90]
In a January 16, 2026, press release, venue officials referred to the center as the Trump Kennedy Center, the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, the Kennedy Center, and the Center.[91]
A satirical website using the domain name www.trumpkennedycenter.org was posted by Toby Morton,[92] a television writer and producer who had anticipated the renaming and registered the domain name.[93]
In February 2026, Trump announced that the center would close on July 4, 2026, for a two-year renovation.[82] "I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World," he wrote onTruth Social.[94] Weeks earlier, the president announced restoration of the building's exterior marble, interior chairs.[95]
Some journalists doubted Trump's reason for the closure.The Atlantic's David Graham wrote, "Trump’s contradictory statements and the absence of an independent board or any notification to Congress make these claims of a building in need of repair unverifiable at best, and most likely nonsense. A more plausible reason for the closing is that under Trump, the Kennedy Center can’t hold on to staff, artists, or audiences", in part because "Grenell's threat to sue Redd for $1 million is unlikely to make artists more eager to book shows."[96]
On February 2, CNN reported that the center's new leaders had been unable to sign enough acts to mount a 2026–27 season, citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the center's programming.[97][98]
The surprise announcement disrupted long-planned schedules and forced arts organizations to seek new venues.[99] Among them is the National Symphony Orchestra, which typically plays about 175 events a year and had laid out its 2026–27 schedule more than a year ago.[100][101]
Cultural consultant and former center presidentMichael Kaiser expressed concern that the two year closure would destroy the network of supporters for the institution. He has avoided the center since Trump's takeover, stating, "The Kennedy Center had always been a non-partisan institution. We didn’t talk politics. We didn’t evaluate performers based on their backgrounds or political beliefs and we were there to serve the nation and the region."[102]
The original building, designed by architectEdward Durell Stone,[103][104] was constructed by Philadelphia contractorJohn McShain, and is administered as a bureau of theSmithsonian Institution. An earlier design proposal called for a more curvy, spaceship-inspired building similar to the neighboringWatergate complex.[105] Overall, the building is 100 feet (30 m) high, 630 feet (190 m) long, and 300 feet (91 m) wide. The Kennedy Center features a 630-foot-long (190 m), 63-foot-high (19 m) grand foyer, with 16 hand-blownOrrefors crystal chandeliers (a gift from Sweden) andred carpeting. The Hall of States and the Hall of Nations are both 250-foot-long (76 m), 63-foot-high (19 m) corridors. The building has drawn criticism for its location (far away fromWashington Metro stops), and for its scale andform, although it has also drawn praise for itsacoustics, and itsterrace overlooking the Potomac River.[104] In her bookOn Architecture,Ada Louise Huxtable called it "gemütlichSpeer".[106]
Cyril M. Harris designed the Kennedy Center's auditoriums and their acoustics.[107] A key consideration is that many aircraft fly along the Potomac River and over the Kennedy Center, as they take off and land at the nearbyRonald Reagan Washington National Airport.Helicopter traffic over the Kennedy Center is also fairly high. To keep out this noise, the Kennedy Center was designed as a box within a box, giving each auditorium an extra outer shell.[108]
After the original structure was marked for expansion, a competition in 2013 selectedSteven Holl Architects to undertake the design.[109] The extension, called the REACH, opened in 2019.[110]
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The plaza entrance of the Kennedy Center features twotableaus by German sculptorJürgen Weber, created between 1965 and 1971 as a gift to the Kennedy Center from theWest German government. Near the north end of the plaza is a display of nude figures in scenes representingwar and peace, calledWar or Peace. The piece, 8 ft × 50 ft × 1.5 ft (2.44 m × 15.24 m × 0.46 m), depicts five scenes showing the symbolism of war and peace: a war scene, murder, family, and creativity.[112] At the south end isAmerica which represents Weber's image of America (8 × 50 × 1.5 ft.). Four scenes are depicted representing threats to liberty, technology, foreign aid and survival, and free speech.[113] It took the artist four years to sculpt the two reliefs in plaster, creating 200 castings, and another two years for the foundry inBerlin to cast the pieces. In 1994, theSmithsonian Institution'sSave Outdoor Sculpture! program surveyedWar or Peace andAmerica and described them as being well maintained.[112][113] Another sculpture,Don Quixote by Aurelio Teno, occupies a site near the northeast corner of the building.King Juan Carlos I andQueen Sofia of Spain gave the sculpture to the United States for itsBicentennial, June 3, 1976.[114]
The Kennedy Center has three main theaters: the Concert Hall, the Opera House, and the Eisenhower Theater.
The Concert Hall, located at the south end of the center, seats 2,465[115] including chorister seats and stage boxes, and has a seating arrangement similar to that used in many European halls such asMusikverein in Vienna. The Concert Hall is the largest performance space in the Kennedy Center and is the home of theNational Symphony Orchestra. A 1997 renovation brought a high-tech acoustical canopy, handicap-accessible locations on every level, and new seating sections (onstage boxes, chorister seats, and parterre seats). TheHadeland crystal chandeliers, given by the Norwegian government, were repositioned to provide a clearer view.[21] Canadian organbuilderCasavant Frères constructed and installed a new pipe organ in 2012.[116]
The Opera House, in the middle, has approximately 2,347[115] seats. Its interior features include walls covered in red velvet, a distinctive red and gold silk curtain, given by the Japanese government, and aLobmeyr crystal chandelier with matching pendants, a gift from the government ofAustria.[21] It is the major opera, ballet, and large-scale musical venue of the center,[117] and is the home of the annualKennedy Center Honors and the former home of theWashington National Opera.[118] The Opera House closed during the 2003/2004 season for extensive renovations which provided a revised seating arrangement and redesigned entrances at the orchestra level.
The Eisenhower Theater, on the north side, seats about 1,161[115] and is named for PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower, who signed the National Cultural Center Act into law on September 2, 1958. It primarily hosts plays and musicals, smaller-scale operas, ballet, and contemporary dance. The theater contains an orchestra pit for up to 35 musicians that can be converted into a forestage or additional seating space. The venue reopened in October 2008, following a 16-month renovation that altered the color scheme and seating arrangements.
Other performance venues in the center include:
The Kennedy Center offers one of the few open-air rooftop terraces in Washington, D.C.; it is free of charge to the public from 10:00 am until midnight each day, except when closed for private events. The wide terrace provides views in all four directions overlooking theRosslyn skyline inArlington County, Virginia, to the west; the Potomac River and National Airport to the south; the Washington Harbor and the Watergate complex to the north; and theLincoln Memorial,Department of State buildings,George Washington University and theSaudi embassy to the east.
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World premiere performances of Kennedy Center-commissioned works have been offered through a commissioning program for new ballet and dance works. These works have been created by America's foremost choreographers—Paul Taylor,Lar Lubovitch, and Merce Cunningham—for leading American dance companies includingAmerican Ballet Theatre,Ballet West,Houston Ballet,Pacific Northwest Ballet,Pennsylvania Ballet, and theSan Francisco Ballet. The Kennedy Center formerly supported and produced theSuzanne Farrell Ballet in performances at the center and on extended tours.
The center sponsors two annual dance residency programs for young people: Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell and the Dance Theatre of Harlem Residency Program, both now in their second decade. The Kennedy Center's contemporary dance series offers a wide range of artistic perspectives, from the foremost masters of the genre to the art form's newest and most exciting artists. In the 2008/2009 series, the Kennedy Center recognized Modern Masters of American Dance, hosting performances byMartha Graham Dance Company,Merce Cunningham Dance Company,Limón Dance Company,Mark Morris Dance Group,Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater,Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company andPaul Taylor Dance Company.
The center is known for its annual production of the balletThe Nutcracker. Over the years, it has been performed by various companies from throughout the United States. TheKansas City Ballet performedThe Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center in November 2022.[121]
The Kennedy Center has expanded its public education programs nationwide with the 2005 opening of the Family Theater.[122]
The 2008–2009 season programming for Performances for Young Audiences reached more than 100 performances for young people and their families and over 110 performances for school audiences. The season included four Kennedy Center-commissioned world premieres:The Trumpet of the Swan, a musical adapted byPulitzer Prize winnerMarsha Norman from the book by E.B. White with music byJason Robert Brown; Mermaids, Monsters, and the World Painted Purple, a new play by Marco Ramirez;Unleashed! The Secret Lives of White House Pets, a new play by Allyson Currin in collaboration with the White House Historical Association; andOMAN...O man!, a new dance production conceived and directed byDebbie Allen as part of the center's Arab festival,Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World. Theater for Young Audiences on Tour toured with two nationally touring productions ofThe Phantom Tollbooth andBlues Journey.
On June 8, 2016, it was announced that the Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences-commissioned musicalElephant & Piggie's We are in a Play!, with book and lyrics byMo Willems and music by Deborah Wicks La Puma, transferred to the Off-BroadwayNew Victory Theater in January 2017.[123]
Members of the National Symphony Orchestra present Teddy Bear Concerts throughout the orchestral season. During these concerts, children aged three to five bring their favorite stuffed animal to interactive musical programs featuring members of the NSO. Members of the NSO present NSO Ensemble Concerts, connecting music with various school subjects such as science and math, Kinderkonzerts, introducing kids to orchestral instruments and classical composers, and NSO Family Concerts.
Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chairman, theAmerican College Theatre Festival is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide, which has served as a catalyst for improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The festival has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment. Since its establishment in 1969, the festival has reached more than 17.5 million theatergoing students and teachers nationwide. In 2025, after President Trump dismissed the performing arts center's board of directors, appointing new directors aligned with his agenda for it, and moved to add his name to the center, the American College Theatre Festival announced that it has ended its partnership with the Kennedy Center, stating: "Due to ... decisions that do not align with our organization’s values, the National Committee ... has voted to suspend our affiliation with the Kennedy Center."[124]
The Kennedy Center's CETA program's mission is to make the arts a critical component in every child's education. CETA, which stands for Changing Education Through the Arts, creates professional development opportunities for teachers and school administrators. Each year, over 700 teachers participate in approximately 60 courses focused on integrating the arts into their teaching.[125] The Kennedy Center's CETA program also partners with sixteen schools in the Washington, D.C. Metro area to develop a long-range plan for arts integration at their school. Two of these schools, Kensington Parkwood Elementary School in Kensington, Maryland and Woodburn Elementary School for the Fine and Communicative Arts[126] in Falls Church, Virginia serve as research and development schools for CETA.
Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell is a three-week summer ballet intensive for international pre-professional ballerinas ages 14–18.Suzanne Farrell, one of the most revered ballerinas of the 20th century, has been hosting thisBalanchine-inspired intensive at the Kennedy Center since 1993.[127][128] During their three weeks in Washington, D.C., Farrell's students practice technique and choreography during twice daily classes, six days per week. Outside of the classroom, excursions, activities, and performance events are planned for EBSF students to fully immerse themselves in the culture of the nation's capital.[127]
Opened in September 2022,Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy is a permanent exhibit dedicated to President John F. Kennedy's relationship with art.[129] The exhibit has four sections, each explaining the role art played in culture, democracy, social change, and theWhite House during Kennedy's presidency.[130][131] The exhibit was designed by architectural firmKieranTimberlake, curator Ileen Gallahger, and a committee of five U.S. historians.[132]
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The Kennedy Center presents festivals celebrating cities, countries, and regions of the world. The festivals feature a wide range of performing arts, visual arts, cuisine, and multimedia.
Since its establishment in September 1971, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has showcased jazz in solo, ensemble, and big-band settings. In 1994, the Kennedy Center appointedBilly Taylor as Artistic Advisor for Jazz, and his first installation was his own radio show,Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center. Featuring his trio and guest artists in performance and discussion, the series ran for seven seasons onNPR. Since Taylor's appointment in 1994, the center has initiated numerous performance programs to promote jazz on a national stage, featuring leading international artists and rising stars, including: theArt Tatum Piano Panorama, named after Taylor's mentor; theLouis Armstrong Legacy, highlighting vocalists; theMary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, the first festival by a major institution promoting outstanding female jazz artists; Beyond Category, featuring artists whose work transcends genre; the Platinum Series, with internationally acclaimed headliners; Jazz Ambassadors with theUnited States Department of State, sending musicians on worldwide goodwill tours (1998–2004); the KC Jazz Club, a highly praised intimate setting; and Discovery Artists in the KC Jazz Club, highlighting up-and-coming talent. Kennedy Center and NPR annually collaborated on the beloved holiday broadcast 'NPR's Piano Jazz Christmas', until the retirement of hostMarian McPartland, and hence the show, in 2011. Since 2003, the center's jazz programs have been regularly broadcast on NPR'sJazzSet withDee Dee Bridgewater. Highlights, produced by the center, have includedGreat Vibes, A Salute toLionel Hampton (1995);Billy Taylor's 80th Birthday Celebration (2002);Nancy Wilson, A Career Celebration (2003);Michel Legrand withPatti Austin, part of the center's Festival of France (2004);A Tribute toShirley Horn (2004);James Moody's 80th Birthday (2005); andBenny Golson at 80 (2009). In March 2007, the center hosted a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, Jazz in Our Time, which bestowed its Living Jazz Legend Award on more than 30 revered artists. During Taylor's tenure, the center has created recognized educational initiatives, including national jazz satellite distance-learning programs; adult lecture series; master classes and workshops with national artists and local metropolitan Washington, D.C. students; andBetty Carter's Jazz Ahead—continuing the singer's legacy of identifying outstanding young talent. In 2015,Lady Gaga andTony Bennett performed there as part of theirCheek to Cheek Tour.[133]
TheNational Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center's artistic affiliate since 1987, has commissioned dozens of new works, among themStephen Albert'sRiverRun, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music;Morton Gould'sStringmusic, also a Pulitzer Prize winner;William Bolcom's Sixth Symphony,Roger Reynolds'george WASHINGTON, andMichael Daugherty'sUFO, a concerto for solo percussion and orchestra.
In addition to its regular season concerts, the National Symphony Orchestra presents outreach, education, and pops programs, as well as concerts atWolf Trap each year. The annual American Residencies for the Kennedy Center is a program unique to the National Symphony Orchestra and the center. The center sends the Orchestra to a different state each year for an intensive period of performances and teaching encompassing full orchestral, chamber, and solo concerts, master classes, and other teaching sessions. The Orchestra has given these residencies in 20 states so far: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wyoming/Montana.[citation needed]
The NSO recording ofJohn Corigliano'sOf Rage and Remembrance won aGrammy Award in 1996.
The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage presents a free performance 365 days a year, daily at 6 pm (noon on December 24). The series was created as part of the center's Performing Arts for Everyone initiative in 1997 and underwritten byJames A. Johnson andMaxine Isaacs. It features a broad spectrum of performing arts, from dance and jazz to chamber music and folk, comedy, storytelling, and theater. More than three million people have attended Millennium Stage performances. The Millennium Stage has presented more than 42,000 artists, including more than 4,000 foreign artists from more than 70 countries; performers representing all 50 states; and 20,000 Washington-area ensembles and solo artists. The first performance, on March 1, 1997, was by the Charlie Byrd Trio and the Billy Taylor Trio. In 1999, the center began web-casting the performances, which are archived and available via the center's website.
Performing Arts for Everyone initiatives also include low- and no-cost tickets to performances on every stage of the Kennedy Center, as well as several outreach programs designed to increase access to tickets and performances.
An initiative of the Millennium Stage, the Conservatory Project is a semi-annual event in February and May that presents the best young musical artists in classical, jazz, musical theater, and opera from leading undergraduate and graduate conservatories, colleges, and universities.
The Kennedy Center hosts residencies for artists to collaborate with the center's performing ensembles, programmers, and community initiatives. The center has positions for a composer-in-residence, an education artist-in-residence, and a culture artist-in-residence. As of 2021, the artists-in-residence were hip-hop groupthe Roots, authorJacqueline Woodson, composerCarlos Simon, and pianistRobert Glasper.[134]
The center has co-produced more than 300 new works of theater, including Tony-winning shows ranging fromAnnie in 1977 toA Few Good Men,How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,The King and I,Titanic, and the American premiere ofLes Misérables. The center also produced theSondheim Celebration (sixStephen Sondheim musicals) in 2002,Tennessee Williams Explored (three ofTennessee Williams' classic plays) in 2004,Mame starring Christine Baranski in 2006,Carnival! in 2007,August Wilson'sPittsburgh Cycle (Wilson's complete ten-play cycle performed as fully staged readings) andBroadway: Three Generations both in 2008, and a new production ofRagtime in 2009. The Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays has provided critical support in the development of 135 new theatrical works. In 2011, a new production ofFollies starringBernadette Peters opened at the Eisenhower Theater, and transferred toBroadway that fall.[135]
Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been awarded annually by the center's board of trustees. Each year, five artists or groups are honored for their lifetime contributions to American culture and the performing arts, including dance, music, theater, opera, film, and television.[136]
The Kennedy Center has awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor annually since 1998. Named after the 19th-century humoristMark Twain, it is presented to individuals who have "had an impact on American society in ways similar to" Twain.[137]
Many local arts organizations have presented their work at the Kennedy Center. Some of these include:
The Kennedy Center regularly hosts specialInauguration Day events andgalas during the start of each presidential term.[citation needed]
During theUnited States Bicentennial, the Kennedy Center hosted numerous special events throughout 1976, including six commissioned plays.[140] The center hosted free performances by groups from each state.[141] In December 1976,Mikhail Baryshnikov's version ofThe Nutcracker played for two weeks.[142]
In 1977, the Opera House hostedGeorge Bernard Shaw'sCaesar and Cleopatra withRex Harrison andElizabeth Ashley.[143] TheAmerican Ballet Theatre has also frequently performed at the Kennedy Center.[144] The troupe's 2004 production ofSwan Lake, choreographed byKevin McKenzie, was taped there, shown onPBS in June 2005, and released on DVD shortly after. Productions ofThe Lion King andTrevor Nunn's production ofMy Fair Lady (choreographed byMatthew Bourne) were presented in the 2007–2008 season, to name a few.[32]
The Kennedy Center at 50, a concert to celebrate the center's 50th anniversary, was held on September 14, 2021, and aired onPBS on October 1, 2021.Audra McDonald hosted, and First LadyJill Biden gave opening remarks.[145][146][147]
The Kennedy Center hosted thedraw for the2026 FIFA World Cup on December 5, 2025.[148]
In 2025, Trump fired the entire board, including chairman Rutter. He then appointed new members and "called for a vote to install himself as the chair, which passed overwhelmingly".[2] He also personally hosted the2025 Kennedy Center Honors event, thus marking the first time any sitting or former U.S. President had ever hosted the annual Kennedy Center Honors event.[149]
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The Kennedy Center stages free daily performances on its Millennium Stage in the Grand Foyer, featuring a range of performing artists.
The two theaters of the Millennium Stage are equipped with lights, sound systems, and cameras. Every free event performed at this stage is recorded and archived on the Kennedy Center's website. These archives have been available to the public for free since 2009.[150]
VSA (formerly VSA arts) is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 byJean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year 7 million people participate in VSA programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 54 countries around the world. Affiliated with the Kennedy Center since 2005, VSA was officially merged into the organization in 2011 to become part of the center's Department of VSA and Accessibility.
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Until 1980, the daily operations of the Kennedy Center were overseen by the chairman of the board of trustees and by the board itself. Aspects of the center's programming and operations were overseen by various other people. George London was the center's first executive director (often called "artistic director" by the press, although that was not the formal title), serving from 1968 to 1970,[151] while William McCormick Blair, Jr. was its first administrative director.[152] Julius Rudel became music director in 1971.[153] In 1972, Martin Feinstein replaced London and held the position of artistic director until 1980.[154]Marta Casals Istomin was named the first female artistic director in 1980, a position she held until 1990;[155] she was also the first person to formally have that title.[156][157]
In 1991, the board created the position of chief operating officer to remove the responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Kennedy Center from the chairman and board. Lawrence Wilker was hired to fill the position, which later was retitled president.[158] The artistic director continued to oversee artistic programming, under the president's direction.
Michael Kaiser became president of the center in 2001. He left the organization when his contract expired in September 2014.[158][159] In September 2014,Deborah Rutter became its third president; she was the first woman to hold that post. Rutter had previously been president of theChicago Symphony Orchestra Association, a position she held from 2003.[155] In 2015, Rutter appointed arts executive Robert Van Leer to assist with leadership and expansions.[160] In February 2025, Rutter was dismissed as president shortly after U.S. PresidentDonald Trump became chairman of the organization.[161]
Authorized by the National Cultural Center Act of 1958,[103] which requires that its programming be sustained through private funds, the center represents apublic–private partnership. Its activities have included educational and outreach initiatives almost entirely funded through ticket sales and gifts from individuals, corporations, and private foundations. The center receives annual federal funding to cover building maintenance and operations.[162]
The center's board, formally known as the Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, maintains and administers the center and its site.
The honorary chairs of the board are theFirst Lady and her living predecessors. Members of the board are specified byU.S. Code Title 20 Chapter 3 subchapter V §76h and includeex officio members such as theSecretary of Health and Human Services, theLibrarian of Congress, theSecretary of State (substituting for the director of theUnited States Information Agency after that agency was abolished), the chairman of theCommission of Fine Arts, theMayor of theDistrict of Columbia, the superintendent ofschools of the District of Columbia, the director of theNational Park Service, theSecretary of Education and the secretary of theSmithsonian Institution, and several members ofCongress, as well as 36 general trustees appointed by the president of the United States for six-year terms.[163]
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