Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine, acclaimed musicians Billy Joel, Carlos Santana and Herbie Hancock and opera singer Martina Arroyo will be the 2013 Kennedy Center Honorees.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced that the five artists will be honored for their amazing careers during the ceremony in Washington on Dec. 8. CBS will broadcast the ceremony on Dec. 29 at 9 p.m.
“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 in a statement. He praised the works of each artist, noting that Arroyo “has dazzled the world with her glorious soprano voice and continues to share her artistry with a new generation of opera singers.”
Hancock is one of the most recognizable names in jazz, “constantly breaking musical barriers and redefining the art,” Rubenstein noted. Joel is best known for songs like “Big Shot,” “Piano Man,” “New York State Of Mind” and many others. His “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,” said Rubenstein.
Santana remains one of the most acclaimed rock guitarists and Rubenstein noted his Grammy wins in 2000 for the acclaimed album Supernatural. MacLaine is an Oscar winner, taking home Best Actress for the Best Picture winner Terms of Endearment. She also starred in the 1960 Best Picture The Apartment and continues to work today, recently appearing on Downton Abbey.
The ceremony will again be produced by George Stevens, Jr. and Michael Stevens.
“To think that they would put me on the list with people I have loved and respected for so many years, it’s shocking,” Hancock told The NY Times this morning. “It was like a dream, hard to believe and humbling.”
“The others are for a part you did or for how you interpreted a character, but this is about how you’ve interpreted yourself,” MacLaine told the Times about the award.
image: Wikimedia Commons
