WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center Honors program celebrating cultural achievement opened Sunday with a standing ovation for the late President George H.W. Bush.
Host Gloria Estefan recalled being invited to the White House when Bush was president and Bush spending 45 minutes patiently explaining to her 8-year-old son how the government worked. Bush died Friday at 94.
For the second straight year, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump declined an invitation to the awards. He returned early Sunday from the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.
This year’s honorees for lifetime achievements in the arts are Cher, composer Phillip Glass, country music legend Reba McEntire and jazz icon Wayne Shorter. The co-creators of “Hamilton” — writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler and music director Alex Lacamoire — are set to receive a unique award honoring them as “trailblazing creators of a transformative work that defies category.”
The first recipient, McEntire, was introduced by music star Kelly Clarkson, who performed McEntire’s hit song “Fancy.”
“Sometimes when we meet our heroes, it doesn’t always pan out,” Clarkson told McEntire, “but my friendship with you became one of the highlights of my life.”
Shorter was hailed by the Kennedy Center for a six-decade career that included collaborations with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana and Joni Mitchell.
Jason Moran, the Kennedy Center’s artistic director for jazz, described Shorter’s music in celestial terms.
“His sound holds a special place in the galaxy,” Moran said. “I can safely say that somewhere in the galaxy right now, a band is playing one of his pieces.”
On the red carpet before the event, Cher said she has always tried to focus on the music and her fans over any career honors. She said she was genuinely surprised to receive the award.
“I never thought I was the right person for this because I’m a little bit out there,” the 72-year-old pop music icon said.
Other presidents, including Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, have missed Kennedy Center ceremonies, but Trump is the first to miss them twice.
Had he gone to the Kennedy Center, it’s unlikely he would have been warmly welcomed by at least some of the honorees, including Cher and Miranda.
Trump and his administration have put unprecedented distance between themselves and the arts and science communities. No arts or humanities medals have been announced or handed out since September 2016, when Barack Obama was president — the longest gap by months since the awards were established in the mid-1980s.
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