PhotosPhotos: Ariana DeBose, Anna Deavere Smith, More Come Out to Celebrate 45th Annual Kennedy Center Honorees
Bono, The Edge, Gladys Knight, and more were honored December 4 in Washington, D.C.
By
Andrew Gans, Michael Wiltbank
December 05, 2022
Bono and The Edge, who penned the score for Julie Taymor's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, were among the recipients of the 45th Kennedy Center Honors for
lifetime artistic achievements, presented December 4 in Washington, D.C. The
two artists were recognized as part of the Irish rock band U2, which
also includes honorees Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.
This year's recipients also included Grammy-winning soul, gospel,
R&B, and pop icon Gladys Knight, who performed in concert at
Broadway's Gershwin Theatre in summer 1984 in Gladys Knight & the Pips & Kashif; actor
and filmmaker George Clooney; contemporary Christian and pop
singer-songwriter Amy Grant; and Cuban-born American composer,
conductor, and educator Tania León.
The 45th class of Kennedy Center Honorees were saluted on the
Kennedy Center Opera House stage December 4 by leading performers from
New York, Hollywood, and the arts capitals of the world. President Joseph Biden, First
Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman
Douglas Emhoff also attended the 45th Kennedy Center Honors.
Several theatre favorites also took part in the celebration, including Oscar winner Ariana DeBose and Tony nominee Anna Deavere Smith. Check out photos from the event below:
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See U2, Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, More Honored at the 45th Kennedy Center Honors
The Honors Gala was recorded, and The 45th Annual Kennedy Center Honors will air December 28 at 8 PM ET on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
The recipients are recognized for their contributions to American
culture through the performing arts—whether in music, dance, theatre,
opera, motion pictures, or television—and are confirmed by the Executive
Committee of the Center’s Board of Trustees.
This year’s honorees were chosen based on the recommendation of the
Kennedy Center’s Special Honors Advisory Committee, chaired by David
Bohnett and includes past Honors recipients and artists Julie Andrews,
Gloria Estefan, Herbie Hancock, Judith Jamison, Lionel Richie, and John
Williams as well as David M. Rubenstein, Deborah F. Rutter, Bryan Lourd,
Cappy McGarr, Shonda Rhimes, and Daryl Roth.
Done+Dusted, the production company and producers of the Center’s Mark Twain Prize since 2018, executive produces the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors.
Filmed in 2023, the one-night-only event featured Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Peter Friedman, and more from the Ahrens and Flaherty musical's original cast.
Surrounded by period-accurate, 19th-century holiday decorations lit via candlelight, the 70-minute production is based on Dickens' own script of the classic.