Songs for Hope at Concert Hall at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Songs for Hope: A Concert Celebration of the 2023 Surgeon General’s Medallion Awardees for Health Featuring performances by: Aloe Blacc
Ariana DeBose
Renée Fleming
Ben Folds
Joshua Henry
Jimmie Herrod
with music direction by Benjamin Rauhala. As individuals, throughout our communities, and across the nation, we have had little time or opportunity to address our mental health, grief, and struggles of loneliness and isolation over the last years. We are in need of hope and healing. In that spirit, the Surgeon General Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy will recognize heroic work to support mental health and well-being during the last years of the pandemic. September 18 in the Concert Hall, he awards the Surgeon General’s Medallion—the highest honor he can present to a civilian—to individuals or organizations who exemplify unusual acts of compassion, innovative mental health efforts, and exceptional leadership in advancing the well-being of their communities.  This special evening of joy, inspiration, and togetherness will feature musical performances from artists who uplift their communities, including Aloe Blacc, Ariana DeBose, Renée Fleming, Ben Folds, Joshua Henry, and Jimmie Herrod, led by music director Benjamin Rauhala. Songs for Hope builds on the Kennedy Center’s commitment to being a champion of the connection between the performing arts and health and well-being—raising public awareness about the benefits of engaging with the arts, facilitating a platform for related health and medical research, and hosting programs for the public to engage in arts-related activities for the purposes of healing.