Common Joins National Symphony Orchestra for Special One Night Only Concert

Grammy®, Oscar®, and Golden Globe®-winning Chicago rapper, actor, film producer, activist, and poet Common joins the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke for a one-night-only concert of music from his latest album, Black America Again, as well as some of his biggest hits. Black America Again is his most political album to date, a call to action inspired by the works of filmmaker Ava DuVernay, social critic Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the Black Lives Matter movement, among other 21st century cultural touchstones.

Common debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar? and has gone on to win three Grammy® awards. In 2015, he was awarded the Golden Globe® for Best Original Song and the Academy Award® for Best Original Song for his song "Glory" from the 2014 film Selma, in which he co-starred as Civil Rights Movement leader James Bevel.

Common's appearance with the NSO reflects the Orchestra's commitment to collaborating with artists from non-classical genres such as Hip Hop, including previously sold-out performances with Nas and Kendrick Lamar. This performance is also a part of JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy. Leading up to the centennial of John F. Kennedy's birth (May 29, 2017), the Kennedy Center presents a year-long initiative of programming-currently nearly 50 events-inspired by five ideals commonly attributed to America's 35th President: Courage, Freedom, Justice, Service, and Gratitude. These timeless values continue to resonate with all Americans today.

Tickets ($29-$119) go on sale to Kennedy Center members today, February 1, at

10 a.m., and to the general public on Thursday, February 2, at 10 a.m. Call (202) 467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

FUNDING CREDITS

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.

AARP is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2016-2017 NSO Pops Season.

Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley and The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.

For more information about the NSO, visit nationalsymphony.org.