Joel, Santana to receive Kennedy Center Honors
9/12/2013WASHINGTON — Billy Joel and Carlos Santana are among four musicians who will receive this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, along with actress Shirley MacLaine.
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced the selections today. The honorees also include jazz artist Herbie Hancock and opera star Martina Arroyo.
The award is the nation’s highest honor for those who influence American culture through the arts. President Obama hosts the honorees at the White House, and Secretary of State John Kerry hosts a dinner in their honor.
Top entertainers will salute the honorees in a gala performance Dec. 8 to be broadcast Dec. 29 on CBS.
This is the first year of a revised selection process after a group last year said the Kennedy Center had long excluded Latinos from the prize.