Kennedy Center Announces 2018 Spring Gala

Legendary singer and 2016 Kennedy Center Honoree Mavis Staples will headline a special evening for the 2018 Kennedy Center Spring Gala on Sunday, May 6, 2018, in the Concert Hall. An Evening with Mavis Staples and Special Guests pairs Staples with some of her most notable collaborators: singer-songwriter Neko Case, multi-instrumentalist Bruce Hornsby, and bluegrass-county artist Alison Krauss. Together, they will lead guests through Staples's 60-plus year catalog of genre-defying contributions to American music, including many seminal works that have woven her into the very fabric of gospel, soul, folk pop, R&B, Hip Hop, blues, and rock. The event is chaired by Frances and Craig Lindner.

Since her first recording in 1954 at the age of 13, Chicago-born Mavis Staples has learned from, worked with, and influenced countless legends-from Bob Dylan to Prince-and has brought her own timeless talent to every performance. From the Delta-inflected gospel sound she helped create in the 1950s with her father Pops and her siblings as The Staple Singers, to pop radio stardom during the Stax era with hits including "I'll Take You There" and "Respect Yourself," Staples has embraced her evolution. She has absorbed new sounds and ideas, rising to meet the challenges of longevity, and bringing her message of hope and positivity to new listeners show after show.

Case, Hornsby, and Krauss are among dozens of musicians influenced by Staples, and all consider Staples a friend. Case contributed music to Staples's 2016 album Ode to Joy, and has shared co-bills with her. In addition to appearing on tours together, Hornsby and Staples recorded the single "Celestial Road" in 2016, a song he originally wrote for the Staples Sisters in the 1990s, but never recorded.

Kennedy Center Human Spirit Award Recipients
The Gala will also feature the third annual presentation of the Kennedy Center Award for the Human Spirit, commemorating the seminal contributions made by President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to cultural life in the United States. The award recognizes recipients who have had an enduring impact on the advancement of arts and culture: the Distinguished Philanthropist Award honors a lifetime commitment to and advocacy for the performing arts, recognizing individuals who have had a substantial influence on the broader cultural life of their community and country through both personal commitment and philanthropy; the Citizen Artist Award recognizes leaders who present and produce the arts in their communities, and deepen the effect of the arts and arts education in a demonstrated, transformational way at the local, state, or national level.

The 2018 recipients of the Award for the Human Spirit will be Distinguished Philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad for their commitment to making the arts accessible to as many people as possible, and Citizen Artist Gary Sinise for his work leading and founding the Gary Sinise Foundation, which has many outreach programs dedicated to honoring America's defenders and their loved ones. Their Arts & Entertainment Outreach supports the "Vets Night" program at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, inviting local veterans to enjoy a dinner and attend a performance free of charge. Veterans Night was created by Sinise in the early 1980s and has become a tradition at Steppenwolf spanning nearly 35 years.

For the third year, artist and founder of Pioneer Works Dustin Yellin has been commissioned to create original works of art that will serve as the physical awards. The artist made a major exhibition of 12 Psychogeographies at the Kennedy Center in April of 2015, one of which is part of the Kennedy Center's permanent art collection and currently on display in the Center's Hall of States.

The Spring Gala's black-tie evening begins with a cocktail reception on the River Terrace level, followed by an elegant dinner on the Roof Terrace and the Gala performance. The evening concludes with dessert and dancing at the 'Til Midnight Party for all event sponsors in the Nation's Gallery.

As one of Washington's leading benefit engagements, the annual Kennedy Center Spring Gala provides critical funding to support the Center's performances, education programs, and outreach initiatives. New this year, Spring Gala table buyers will receive access to the July 25 performance of Hamilton, as well as an after-party. To learn more about Spring Gala VIP packages, patrons can visit the Gala webpage, email springgala@kennedy-center.org, or call (202) 416-8338.

Concert-only tickets for the 2018 Spring Gala: An Evening with Mavis Staples and Special Guests start at $49 and are on sale to the general public. Tickets may be purchased at the Kennedy Center Box Office, online, or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600; patrons living outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan calling area may dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324.

The Kennedy Center Spring Gala Premier Sponsor is Boeing, whose contributions play a crucial leadership role in supporting the presentation of the Kennedy Center's artistic and educational programs throughout the year.

ELI AND EDYTHE BROAD, Distinguished Philanthropists Human Spirit Award
Eli and Edythe Broad, who came from humble backgrounds and went on to become two of the world's leading philanthropists, have devoted their lives to giving back to the country that gave them the opportunity to live the American Dream. Growing up in Detroit and attending public schools, Eli and Edythe met in 1953 and married the next year. After graduating cum laude in three years from Michigan State University, Eli became the youngest certified public accountant in the state's history, a record he held until 2010. Eli started a homebuilding business, KB Home, and soon acquired a small insurance company, later re-named SunAmerica, in 1971. After much success, Eli sold SunAmerica to AIG, and the Broads began to devote their lives as well as lifetime earnings to philanthropy. Eli and Edythe devoted their giving to improving the human mind, body, and spirit by investing in improving K-12 public schools, advancing scientific and medical research, and expanding public access to the arts. Over the course of their lives, the Broads have invested more than $4 billion in these causes for the simple reason that they believe they have a moral obligation to work to make life better for people.

Gary Sinise, Citizen Artist Human Spirit Award
For nearly 40 years, Gary Sinise has stood as an advocate of America's service members. It began in the early 1980s with his support of Vietnam Veterans groups and the creation of Veterans Night, a program offering free dinners and performances to veterans at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. His commitment continued into the 1990s, working on behalf of the Disabled American Veterans organization which he continues to actively support. His portrayal of Lt. Dan Taylor in the landmark film Forrest Gump formed an enduring connection with servicemen and women throughout the military community. After several USO handshake tours in 2003, Sinise formed the Lt. Dan Band in early 2004, and began entertaining troops serving at home and abroad. The band now performs close to 30 shows a year for military bases, charities, and fundraisers supporting wounded heroes, Gold Star families, veterans, and troops around the world. In 2011, to expand upon his individual efforts, he established the Gary Sinise Foundation. Its mission is to serve and honor our nation's defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need by creating and supporting unique programs that entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities.

Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is living, breathing history. She is an alchemist of American music, having continuously crossed genre lines like no musician since Ray Charles. Weaving herself into the very fabric of gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock, and hip hop over the last 60 years, this iconic singer has seen and sung through so many changes, always rising up to meet every road.

Now in her eighth decade, with the release of her new album If All I Was Was Black this 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree is only gaining momentum. She continues to tour incessantly, remaining vital and engaged, and continually evolving her sound to reflect the times she traverses and influences with her music.

NEKO CASE
Five years have passed since Neko Case's last solo project, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You. In the interim, she sang on Whiteout Conditions, the 2017 release from longtime bandmates the New Pornographers. The year before that, she released a vinyl box set of her solo work and joined k.d. lang and Laura Veirs on the case/lang/veirs project. She feels lucky to have worked with the people she has encountered across her career-Darryl Neudorf, Tucker Martine, Craig Schumacher, and Chris Schultz among them-who encouraged her to expand her own skills in studio. Brace yourself for Hell-On, Case's latest album, coming June 1 from ANTI- Records.

Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Hornsby's work displays a creative iconoclasm that's been a constant in the artist's two-and-a-half decade recording career. His commercial stock soared early on, when "The Way It Is" - the title track of his 1986 debut album - became one of the most popular songs on American radio. Despite his early mainstream successes, Hornsby has pursued a more personal, idiosyncratic musical path, focusing on projects that sparked his creative interest, including collaborations with the Grateful Dead, Spike Lee, Ricky Skaggs, Don Henley, Ornette Coleman, Bob Dylan, Béla Fleck, Justin Vernon, Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, and Robbie Robertson. Hornsby's performance will offer a glimpse of a restless spirit who continues to push forward into exciting new musical terrain.

Alison Krauss
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Alison Krauss grew up listening to everything from folk to opera to pop and rock music, but quickly fell in love with bluegrass when she began playing fiddle at the age of five. Since 1985 Krauss has released 14 albums and has sold more than 12 million records to date. Her honors include 27 Grammys, nine Country Music Association awards, 14 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, and two Gospel Music Association awards.

Krauss frequently collaborates with artists from numerous genres and has contributed songs to numerous films, including "Down to the River to Pray" in the cult classic film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and "You Will Be My Ain True Love" and "The Scarlett Tide" in the film Cold Mountain.

ABOUT THE KENNEDY CENTER
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America's living memorial to President Kennedy. Under the guidance of Chairman David M. Rubenstein, and President Deborah F. Rutter, the nine theaters and stages of the nation's busiest performing arts facility attract more than three million visitors to more than 2,000 performances each year, while center-related touring productions, television, and radio broadcasts reach 40 million more around the world.

The Center produces and presents performances of music, dance, comedy, Hip Hop, 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 has produced more than 300 theatrical productions, and dozens of new ballets, operas, and musical works, in addition to hosting numerous international cultural festivals. The Center's Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Kennedy Center Honors is broadcast annually on CBS and annual The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is broadcast on PBS.

The education programs of the Kennedy Center, including those of its affiliate VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, have become models for communities across the country and have unlocked the door to learning for millions of young people. Education at the Kennedy Center produces and presents age appropriate performances and educational events, and fosters innovative programming, curriculum, and professional development for students, teachers, and families.

The Center and its affiliates stage more than 400 free performances by artists from throughout the world each year on the Center's main stages, and every day of the year at 6 p.m. on its Millennium Stages, which are also streamed live, online. The Center also offers reduced and complimentary tickets to young people, active members of the military, and the underserved through its MyTix program and offers a Specially Priced Tickets program for students, seniors, persons with disabilities, and others with fixed low incomes.

To learn more about the Kennedy Center, please visit www.kennedy-center.org.

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