Breaking News! The Kennedy Center and WNO Announce 2016-17 Season - Partnerships With Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, and Q-Tip and More!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced programming for the 2016-2017 season for the Center, the National Symphony Orchestra, and Washington National Opera. Under President Deborah F. Rutter's continued leadership, the Kennedy Center is re-imagining ways of presenting the arts in the 21st century through interdisciplinary programming, immersive audience engagement, and a focus on artist-centric programming. The 2016-2017 season includes significant and institution-wide initiatives from the yearlong celebration marking the Centennial of John F. Kennedy's birth, to three newly appointed Artistic Partners who will lead these artistic and community initiatives (Yo-Yo Ma, Rene?e Fleming, and Q-Tip), and the support of American programming. With more than 2,000 performances across many artistic genres, the Center continues its tradition as the nation's center for the performing arts, commissioning, producing, and presenting the finest of local, national, and international arts. The 2016-2017 season includes 25 commissioned or co-commissioned works and projects across the Center's full range of artistic disciplines.

JFK Centennial

Marking and honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Center's namesake, the late President John F. Kennedy (JFK), the Center will offer an expansive, yearlong initiative from April 2016-May 2017, featuring a wide range of programs reflective of the late President's vision, ideals, and legacy alongside forward-looking initiatives reflecting the contemporary spirit of America. Under the visionary leadership of Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter, the Centennial program is designed to encourage dialogue and personal creativity, highlight the role of culture and artists in society, bring people together, and connect artists and audiences in more powerful ways-goals long championed by acclaimed cellist and humanitarian Yo-Yo Ma, who begins a three-year relationship with the Center as its newly appointed Artistic Advisor At Large.

New Artistic Partners: Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, and Q-Tip

As part of its 2016-2017 season announcement, the Center has welcomed three newly appointed roles and key relationships with legendary cellist and humanitarian Yo-Yo Ma (Artistic Advisor At Large), superstar soprano and arts advocate Rene?e Fleming (Artistic Advisor At Large), and renowned Hip Hop artist and socially conscious cultural pioneer Q-Tip (Artistic Director for Hip Hop Culture). As artists, curators, and thought leaders, these three new advisory roles will advance important institution-wide initiatives, and explore new facets of the arts on both local and national levels over the next three years. Mr. Ma, Ms. Fleming, and Q-Tip will join the Kennedy Center's current multidisciplinary team of Artistic Partners including: Philippe Auguin, Music Director, Washington National Opera; Mason Bates, Kennedy Center Composer in Residence; Christoph Eschenbach, Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra and Kennedy Center; Suzanne Farrell, Artistic Advisor for Ballet Programming and Artistic Director for The Suzanne Farrell Ballet; Joseph Kalichstein, Artistic Director for Fortas and Chamber Music Programming; Jason Moran, Artistic Director for Jazz Programming; Gianandrea Noseda, Music Director Designate, National Symphony Orchestra; Steven Reineke, NSO Principal Pops Conductor; and Francesca Zambello, Artistic Director, Washington National Opera.

Spirit of American Programming

In the continued Center-wide effort to highlight the spirit of American programming, the 2016- 2017 season features two distinct series, the inaugural SHIFT Festival, debuting in the spring of 2017, and co-presented by the Kennedy Center and Washington Performing Arts, and the return of its week-long Ballet Across America series, last seen in 2013. SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras is a weeklong spotlight on North American orchestras of all sizes that celebrates the vitality, unique identity, and extraordinary artistry of orchestras by creating an immersive festival experience in the nation's capital. It is the first significant collaboration between the Kennedy Center and Washington Performing Arts in their shared history. Orchestras selected to participate include: Boulder Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Brooklyn-based ensemble, The Knights. Collectively, the participating orchestras will offer repertoire by nine living composers, two world premieres, and numerous D.C.-area premieres during the festival, inspired by themes of nature, Americana, creation and creativity, and choral influences. In April 2017, the Ballet Across America series continues the Center-wide initiative to support new work with artist-centric programming in two programs curated by major stars of the ballet world, dancer-choreographer Justin Peck and principal dancer Misty Copeland. The series will explore ballet's new directions illustrating the most exciting, creative work happening across America today. Central to the Kennedy Center's celebration of the JFK Centennial, guest curators will present works that explore themes of innovation, courage, freedom, justice, and service on top of the series-wide exploration of American ballet. For further information about the SHIFT Festival, please see here.

Hip Hop

Hip Hop will become a core programming area at the Kennedy Center moving forward, with the appointment of its first-ever Artistic Director for Hip Hop Culture. An active member of Universal Zulu Nation, the first Hip Hop organization which was founded in the 1970s by Afrika Bambaataa, Q-Tip embodies the multifaceted nature of the culture with a history of seminal work and longstanding relevance in the community. Famously known as a founder and member of the group A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip is regarded as a pioneer of the genre who paved the way for younger Hip Hop artists by introducing jazzy, eclectic soundscapes into Hip Hop production and a new degree of originality to the art of emceeing. Through his role in A Tribe Called Quest in the '80s and '90s, he became one of the most influential Hip Hop figures of all- time, uniquely fusing rap, jazz, and other styles with piercing, socially conscious lyrics. He also has enjoyed success as a solo artist and producer, working with high profile Hip Hop and R&B acts such as the Beastie Boys, Busta Rhymes, J. Dilla, Janet Jackson, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, and Pharrell Williams. His critically praised solo albums include Amplified, the Grammy®-nominated The Renaissance, and Kamaal the Abstract. Q-Tip is currently the host of Apple Music's Abstract Radio, a weekly Friday radio show where he digs deep into underground favorites and musical legends.

In addition to Q-Tip's appointment, a key part of this new venture is the Kennedy Center's formal partnership with Hi-ARTs, a leading organization within the urban arts movement that develops and produces new works of performance and visual art. Hi-ARTs has collaborated with the Kennedy Center for 15 years in developing the DC Hip Hop Theater Festival, and also served as co-producer of the Center's One Mic Festival in 2014. The organization has built a strong national reputation as a vital incubator for multidisciplinary work, fusing performance, visual arts, and spoken word with elements of Hip Hop and urban arts.

Washington National Opera

The 2016-2017 season includes Mozart's comic masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro, Donizetti's charming The Daughter of the Regiment, a festival weekend of four world premieres as part of the American Opera Initiative, the company premiere of Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally's Dead Man Walking, the East Coast premiere of Terence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer's "opera in jazz" Champion, and an eye-popping staging of Puccini's beloved classic,Madame Butterfly. The season also includes the special one-night-only event: Justice at the Opera with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joined by WNO Artistic Director and host Francesca Zambello, and the return of M&M'S® Opera in the Outfield, WNO's largest community program, plus two special Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist performances and other vocal events.

National Symphony Orchestra

Highlights of Maestro Eschenbach's seventh and final season as NSO Music Director begin with the 2016 Season Opening Concert, featuring Lang Lang as soloist. Eschenbach will also lead seven weeks of subscription concerts which include Wynton Marsalis's Violin Concerto-an NSO co-commission-in its East Coast premiere by Nicola Benedetti, for whom it was commissioned. He and the NSO will salute Gidon Kremer on his upcoming 70th birthday performing Mieczys?aw Weinberg's Violin Concerto in its first NSO performances. Two more programs feature members of the National Symphony, another Eschenbach hallmark, inviting NSO members to perform as soloists: Concertmaster Nurit Bar-Josef and Principal Trombone Craig Mulcahy. Additionally, Eschenbach will lead two of the four Slava at 90 programs saluting former Music Director Mstislav Rostropovich in the season that would have marked his 90th birthday; and the NSO also travels to Russia as the first American orchestra to participate in the Mstislav Rostropovich Festival. Gianandrea Noseda, who becomes Music Director Designate in September, will lead the NSO in two different programs during the 2016-2017 season.

The 2016-2017 season of NSO Pops will open with Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke and the U.S. premiere of The Second City Guide to the Symphony starring Colin Mochrie. The beloved film E.T. and John Williams's epic score come to the NSO for three performances Thanksgiving weekend. R&B sensation Ledisi has earned national recognition not only through her performance, but through her arts advocacy, entrepreneurship, and other activities. She comes to the NSO for two performances.

Fortas Chamber Music Concerts

The 2016-2017 Fortas Chamber Music Series season includes performances by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and the Brentano Quartet, the celebrated Taka?cs Quartet, and Maurizio Pollini, one of the defining pianists of our time. The trio composed of cellist Alisa Weilerstein, pianist Inon Barnatan, and clarinetist Anthony McGill will present a new composition by Joseph Hallman, commissioned by Music Accord, as part of the series. The series also features brothers Ilmar Gavila?n, as part of the Harlem Quartet, and Aldo Lo?pez-Gavila?n, raised in the U.S. and Cuba, respectively. The brothers are reunited onstage in their first appearance together in Washington. For the complete Fortas Chamber Music Concerts season, please see here.

Ballet and Contemporary Dance

From traditional classics like Swan Lake and the works of Balanchine, to new choreography and collaborative work like Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella, John Neumeier's The Little Mermaid, Dorrance Dance's The Blues Project with Toshi Reagon, and the high camp of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the upcoming dance season encompasses the unique breadth of national and international companies that both ground and expand the meaning of movement. Returning favorites include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the 16th Annual Local Dance Commissioning Project, which will also be themed on the Center's celebration of JFK's Centennial, Damian Woetzel's DEMO series, and the Center's own The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, which celebrates its 15th season.

In April 2017, the Kennedy Center continues the Center-wide initiative to support new work with artist-centric programming with the return of its weeklong Ballet Across America series in two programs curated by major stars of the ballet world, dancer-choreographer Justin Peck and principal dancer Misty Copeland. The series will explore ballet's new directions illustrating the most exciting, creative work happening across America today.

Theater

In the 2016-2017 theater season, the Kennedy Center renews its dedication to bringing the world's finest theater productions to its stages. In association with The Public Theater in New York City, the Center presents the highly anticipated new production of The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family. A three-play series written and directed by Tony Award®- winning Richard Nelson, The Gabriels shines an important, probing spotlight on the 2016 political season and is aptly timed to coincide with Inauguration Day 2017. With a long history of presenting the best of international theater works, the Kennedy Center brings five leading theater companies and artists from abroad to present cutting-edge and contemporary productions in its 2016-2017 season: Canada's Ex Machina presents Needles and Opium, a visually stunning work by celebrated director Robert Lepage; Cuba's Teatro el Pu?blico performs the mythic Antigono?n, Un contingente e?pico, directed by Carlos Di?az; Kuwait's Sulayman Al Bassam presents his provocative new play Petrol Station; France's The?a?tre des Bouffes du Nord presents Battlefield, a new work based on The Mahabharata by legendary director Peter Brook and his collaborators Marie-He?le?ne Estienne and Jean-Claude Carrie?re; and Russia's Maly Drama Theatre presents a bold production of Chekhov's classic Three Sisters. Continuing its tradition of presenting the best of Broadway, the Center presents an array of hit plays and musicals in the 2016-2017 season, including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Into the Woods, Wicked, Chicago, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music, Cabaret, and Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I.

Performances for Young Audiences

The 2016-2017 season of performance for young audiences includes seven new Kennedy Center commissions, highlighting work from icons in the fields of jazz, classical music, hip hop, dance, poetry, and theater, as well as a wide variety of other performances that will present young audiences with challenging ideas in an accessible and entertaining setting. The seven world premieres include Bud, Not Buddy, written by Kirsten Greenidge with music written and performed by five-time Grammy®-winning artist Terence Blanchard; The Man with the Violin, which features world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell and is based on his best-selling picture book, that chronicles the time he went undercover as a street musician and performed outside a Washington Metro station; All the Way Live!, in which the hip-hop performers from B-Fly Entertainment collaborate on the spot to "remix" everything from folk tales to classical art; To Sail Around the Sun, a unique spin on Vivaldi's classic The Four Seasons featuring the collaboration of Washington, D.C.-based contemporary dance group Company E with musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra; From the Mouths of Monsters, a contemporary reimagining of the literary classic Frankenstein by award-winning playwright and breakbeat poet Idris Goodwin; Where Words Once Were, written by award-winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer, in which words themselves take center stage; and /peh-LO-tah/, a performance work by Marc Bamuthi Joseph that uses poetry, dance, visual effects, and music to examine the impact of soccer on global society.

Artistic Mashups: KC Jukebox, Jason +, and DEMO series 7

Continuing the Center's commitment of artist-curated programming across many of the Kennedy Center's key genres, the 2016-2017 season of Mashups includes KC Jukebox, the Center's new contemporary music series that premiered in November 2015 under the direction of Composer- in-Residence Mason Bates. KC Jukebox will expand to five events in its second season and will include the Washington debut of the acclaimed classical/club event Mercury Soul, an eclectic evening exploring hot-off-the-presses chamber music, a concert headlined by Angolan composer and instrument builder Victor Gama, a performance by superstar chorus Chanticleer, and the Kennedy Center debut of the legendary local DJ collective Thievery Corporation. The Jason+ series, which also debuted in the 2015-2016 season under the leadership of Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran, returns with fresh names and new exploratory concepts, underlined by Moran's distinct knack for developing artistic programs that are engaging, accessible, and transformative. Dancer, director, choreographer, and thought leader Damian Woetzel will once again curate and host DEMO, a series of experimental evenings that bring together a range of dancers, musicians, poets, actors, and other artists to explore new work as well as reframe existing work around a common theme.

The 2016-2017 season highlights two artist-curated series conceived by visionaries of the genre:

Jason+ and Terence Blanchard, All-In. The Jason+ series returns with fresh names and new exploratory concepts, underlined by Moran's distinct knack for developing artistic programs that are engaging, accessible, and transformative. The upcoming season of Jason+ includes D.C. premieres of two multimedia works featuring visual artist Joan Jonas (Reanimation) and installation artist Theaster Gates (Looks of a Lot), and a new commission with emcee, singer, and producer Georgia Anne Muldrow aka Jyoti (Muldrow Meets Mingus). Terence Blanchard's residency builds on the trumpeter/composer's multi-faceted talents to offer a year-long arc of programming that includes collaborations with Washington National Opera (Champion) and the Center's theater department (Bud, Not Buddy), as well as a headlining appearance with his band, the E-Collective. Blanchard will also assume a mentorship role to young students in the District of Columbia Public Schools through a series of creative workshops, leading to a performance showcase of their work and collective accomplishments.

Comedy

Comedy at the Kennedy Center in the upcoming season kicks off with highly-anticipated debuts by two celebrated political satirists and stars of late night television-John Oliver (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) and Trevor Noah (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah). The fall 2016 lineup also includes a light-hearted blend of comedy sketches and classical music with the U.S. premiere of The Second City Guide to the Symphony starring Colin Mochrie, in collaboration with the NSO Pops led by Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke; a political parody on the upcoming election, which was created by Slate and The Second City; a classical music/pop culture/comedic theatrical show by the hilarious violin and piano duo of Igudesman & Joo; and a stand-up comedy performance by Saturday Night Live alum Kevin Nealon. In early 2017, Adam Carolla brings his one-man show, Not Taco Bell Material, based on the 2012 book by the same title.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America's living memorial to President Kennedy. Under the leadership of Chairman David M. Rubenstein and President Deborah F. Rutter, the nine theaters and stages of the nation's busiest performing arts facility attract audiences and visitors totaling 3 million people annually; Center-related touring productions, television, and radio broadcasts welcome 40 million more.

Opening its doors on September 8, 1971, the Center presents the greatest performances of music, dance, and theater; supports artists in the creation of new work; and serves the nation as a leader in arts education. With its artistic affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Center's achievements as a commissioner, producer, and nurturer of developing artists have resulted in more than 300 theatrical productions, and dozens of new ballets, operas, and musical works.

Each year, millions of people nationwide take part in innovative, inclusive, and effective education programs initiated by the Center, including school- and community-based residencies and consultancies; age-appropriate performances and events for young people; career development for young actors, dancers, singers, and instrumentalists; and professional learning opportunities for teachers, teaching artists, and school administrators. These programs have become models for communities across the country. The Center's Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child program works with selected local school districts and seeks to provide a comprehensive arts education to children K-8. The Center also has been at the forefront of making the performing arts accessible to persons with disabilities, highlighted by the work accomplished with its affiliate, VSA.

As part of the Kennedy Center's Performing Arts for Everyone outreach program, the Center stages more than 400 free performances of music, dance, and theater by artists from throughout the world each year on the Center's main stages, and every evening at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage. The Rubenstein Arts Access Program expands the Center's efforts to make the arts accessible to children, young adults, and to people who have little or limited ability to attend and enjoy the performing arts, enabling audiences to engage in more ways, at more times, and in more places than ever before.

For more information about the Kennedy Center, please visit www.kennedy-center.org