Amy Grant Among This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors Recipients

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Amy Grant. Photo: Catherine Powell

Amy Grant is one of the five honorees set to receive the 45th Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievement on Dec. 4 in a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage.

Other honorees include actor/filmmaker George Clooney; legendary soul, gospel, R&B, and pop artist Gladys Knight; Cuban-born American composer, conductor, and educator Tania León; and iconic Irish rock band U2 (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.).

“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine ever receiving this prestigious Kennedy Center Honors,” Grant shares. “Through the years, I’ve watched so many of my heroes serenaded by colleagues and fellow artists, always moved by the ability of music and film to bring us together and to see the best in each other. I cannot wait to celebrate with my fellow honorees, friends, and family. Thank you for widening the circle to include all of us.”

Deborah F. Rutter, Kennedy Center President, notes: “For nearly a half-century, the Kennedy Center Honors has represented the very best of America’s creative culture. The Honors is often referred to by past recipients as the pinnacle of awards because it recognizes not just one performance, album, or film, but esteems an artist’s cumulative body of work and influence over many decades. This level of distinction is important. Through this holistic viewpoint, each year’s Honorees add another layer to the complex and inspiring collage of artists that together tell the story of our collective contribution to global culture. Now, as the Center completes its yearlong 50th Anniversary celebration, I cannot help but think that the Kennedy Center’s namesake would surely smile at this celebration that brings us closer to his vision of ‘an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft.’”

The Honors Gala will be broadcast on CBS at a later date as a two-hour primetime special, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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