Sonny Rollins To Receive 34th Annual Kennedy Center Honors

Sonny Rollins is one of five individuals who have been selected to receive the Kennedy Center Honors of 2011, it was announced today by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. These individuals’ “collective artistry has contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world,” said Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein.

Along with fellow recipients singer Barbara Cook, singer and songwriter Neil Diamond, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and actress Meryl Streep, Rollins will be honored at the 34th annual national celebration of the arts on December 4.

“I am deeply appreciative of this great honor,” says Rollins, who turns 81 today. “In honoring me, the Kennedy Center honors jazz, America’s classical music. For that, I am very grateful.”

Watch the full episode. See more Tavis Smiley.

On Sunday, 12/4, on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage in Washington, DC, the 2011 Honorees will be saluted by great performers from New York, Hollywood, Nashville, and the arts capitals of the world. Seated with the President of the United States and Mrs. Obama, the Honorees will accept the thanks of their peers and fans through performances and heartfelt tributes.

SONNY ROLLINS ONE OF 10 RECIPIENTS OF 2010 NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS

Saxophonist Sonny Rollins was one of ten honorees who received the 2010 National Medal of Arts for outstanding achievements and support of the arts. The presentation was made on March 2 by President Barack Obama in an East Room ceremony at the White House.

“I’m very happy that jazz, the greatest American music, is being recognized through this honor, and I’m grateful to accept this award on behalf of the gods of our music,” Mr. Rollins said of the award.

The National Medal of Arts recipients represent the many vibrant and diverse art forms thriving in America,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “Sonny Rollins’ melodic sensibilities, playing style, and solos have delighted audiences and influenced generations of musicians for over fifty years and I join the President and the country in saluting him.”