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Kennedy Center Musicale 4/22/91 [OA 6897] [1]
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Kennedy Center Musicale 4/22/91 [OA 6897] [1]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Backup Chronological Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Backup Files
Subseries:
Chron Files, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13752
Folder ID Number:
13752-009
Folder Title:
Kennedy Center Musicale 4/22/91 [OA 6897] [1]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
21
3
5
Maestro Rostopovich, cellist
Sarah Wolfenson
Thank you to supporters and special
friends of the Kennedy Center
Trustees' Circle and 100 Club Donors
Honored at the White House
resident and Mrs. Bush hosted a
special evening at the White
House on April 22 for members
of the 100 Club and the Trus-
tees' Circle, two new leadership groups
whose members have contributed more
than $3 million to the Kennedy Center.
The funds will support the Kennedy
Center's artistic programming and its
nationwide education and public service
programs.
"It is a pleasure," said President
Bush, "for us to be here tonight sharing
in a dream of President Kennedy's. JFK
yearned to see an America that valued
the arts as much as business or science
or politics. Tonight, in a sense, we pay
tribute to that vision. And to all of
Pianist Sara Wolfensohn, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and President Bush
yours. You're here, he continued,
"because you believe in the Kennedy
mulated deficit and building operations,
works by Marcello, Weber, Gershwin,
Center's vital and exciting and enjoyable
I promised that I also would lead a rein-
Tchaikovsky, and his own Humoresque.
work. And you've given of yourselves
vigorated private fund-raising effort to
At press time, 26 corporations, 17
to endow its future and this nation's.'
support the Center's artistic program-
individuals, and one foundation had
The new fund-raising efforts have
ming. Today we applaud the corpora-
made commitments to the new pro-
been spearheaded by the Trustee Devel-
tions, individuals, and foundations that
grams, totaling approximately $3
opment Committee, headed by Dina
have made this extraordinary commit-
million in new revenues.
Merrill Hartley; by William A.
ment to the Center and its mission of
Those interested in becoming part of
Schreyer, chairmant and CEO of Merrill
national programming and education.
the Trustees' Circle or 100 Club should
Lynch & Co., Inc.; and by Kennedy
At the White House. the guests were
contact Barbara Hall (202/416-8051) or
Center Chairman James D. Wolfensohn,
treated to a recital by National Sym-
Marc Breslaw (202/416-8070), Directors
who earlier that day said, When I
phony Orchestra Music Director Mstis-
of Development, The Kennedy Center,
asked the Congress last year for major,
lav Rostropovich, who accompanied by
Washington, DC 20566.
support for the Kennedy Center's accu-
Sara Wolfensohn on the piano, played
ROV BY:
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SOCIAL OFFICE:# 4
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TO: CAROL
BLYMIRE
FM: CATHY
FENTON
Matialav Rostropovich
The current season is Music Director Metislav Rostropovich's 14th at the
helm of the National Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Orchestra's own
60th season. Rostropovich's leadership is among the longest and most
impressive of those of current music directors of major American
orchestras. In addition to the commemorations mentioned above, 1990
marked the 50th anniversary of his debut (at the age of 13 in Slavyansk)
and the 25th anniversary of his debut with the National Symphony
Orchestra.
Last year saw a burgeoning of the National Symphony's
international reputation under Rostropovich's direction. Highlights have
included the National Symphony's first tour to the USSR (an event
covered by the world's media, as it was Maestro Rostropovich's first
trip back to the Soviet Union since his departure in 1974) its third
tour to Japan, as well as four recent recording releases.
Other major achievements during his tenure with the
National Symphony Orchestra include: extensive touring of the United
States and abroad, several critically acclaimed recordings, seven years
of nationally broadcast concerts (the first in the Orchestra's history)
and several televised concerts, all leading to greatly enhanced national
and international recognition of the National Symphony Orchestra's
artistry. Under Maestro Rostropovich's guidance, the Orchestra has
commissioned works by some of the world's most distinguished composers
and has begun, with the Sidney L. Hechinger Foundation, a commissioning
project designed to create new orchestral works, with special
encouragement given to American composers. The first of the Hechinger
Commissions, Stephen Albert's Symphony RiverRun, won the 1985 Pulitzer
Prize for Music. For his many achievements, but particularly for
accomplishments with the National Symphony, Maestro Rostropovich was
named Musical America's 1987 Musician of the Year.
His personal career is extraordinary and has been
distinguished by an enviable diversity, bringing him recognition as
conductor, cellist, and pianist; as one of today's most important
catalysts for the creation of contemporary music, and as one of the
world's most outspoken defenders of human rights. His 60th birthday was
celebrated with gala concerts and festivals in Washington, New York,
Boston, Paris, London, and Tokyo, as well as a musical cruise in the
Mediterranean. Among the recent accolades that have been showered upon
him are Knight Commander of the Most Excellent order of the British
Empire, Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of West Germany, Commander
of France's Legion of Honor, membership in the Academy of Arts of the
French Institute, often called "the Forty Immortals," and, from the
United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Z 20456621818
SOCIAL OFFICE-
4-12-91 ;12:06PM ;
RCV BY:THE WHITE HOUSE
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
DATE:
4/12/91
PLEASE DELIVER THE FOLLOWING PAGES TO:
NAME:
CAROL BLYMIRE
ORGANIZATION:
SPEECH WRITING
FROM:
CATHY FENTON
PHONE:
X7064
TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES 6 INCLUDING COVER LETTER.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
asdiscussed, am sending
Kennecly center Bios
+ Johnny materis program.
Thank you. (P/s. fox as
any talking paints you receive)
IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE ALL PAGES, PLEASE CALL BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
TO (202) 456-7788.
RETURN TELECOPY NUMBER:
202/456-6235
I 2045662183
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SOCIAL OFFICE:# 5
Maestro Rostropovich's career as conductor began in the
Soviet Union in 1961. He was active in this capacity throughout the
USSR and Eastern Europe for many years before making his United States
conducting debut in 1975. On October 4, 1977, he became music director
of the National Symphony Orchestra, which today has taken a place among
America's finest orchestras, & fact largely attributed to his
leadership. Critics on four continents have praised the
"transformation" of the National Symphony during his tenure.
As cellist, Masstro Rostropovich's artistry has been
recognized for five decades. Considered by many to be the world's
greatest living cellist, he has recorded virtually the entire cello
repertoire and has inspired some of this era's finest composers to
create works aspecially for him.
As pianist, Maestro Rostropovich has often accompanied his
wife, the acclaimed soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, in recital. His
extensive discography also includes many performances in that role, and
together they have toured the globe.
In all his performing areas, Maestro Rostropovich has been
one of today's most positive forces for the creation of contemporary
music. The list of those who have written for him is enormous,
including Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Britten, and Bernstein. Through his
inspiration the existing solo cello repertoire has been vastly
increased. As conductor and as cellist, he is viewed as at leading
interpreter of the works of Shostakovich and Prokofiev, with whom he
shared personal as well as professional relationships. He also had an
close association with Benjamin Britten, and was for many years an
artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival. Currently he is president
of the Evian Festival in France.
Masstro Rostropovich's musicianship has earned him
numerous awards. His recordings have brought him the world's most
coveted recording prises, including the Grammy Award and the Grand Prix
du Disque. He holds more than 30 honorary degrees, and 18 different
nations have lavished more than 60 major awards upon him. Prior to
leaving the USSR in 1974 on an exit visa, he had received the Stalin
Prize, had been named a People's Artist of the USSR, and was a recipient
of the Lenin Prize, the nation's highest prize. At the Moscow
Conservatory he taught for 26 years, and at the Leningrad Conservatory
for seven. At the latter institution he was made Honorary Professor.
Maestro Restropovich has devoted many performances in
support of humanitarian efforts around the world. Among his many recent
benefit concerts were five performances in Europe and the United States
to aid the Armenian earthquake relief efforts. In recognition of his
services to human rights, Maestro Rostropovich received the 1974 Annual
Award of the International League of Human Rights and the 1985 Albert
Schweitzer Award.
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It was his efforts on behalf of humanitarian causes
(particularly his defense of dissident author Alexander Solshenitsyn),
that caused Rostropovich to be exiled from the USSR in 1974. 1990 saw a
triumphant vindication: in January of that year his citizenship and
that of his wife Galina Vishnevskaya were restored by a special act of
the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, and, in August, the same body voted
to reinstate the citizenship of Solzhenitsyn.
February 1991
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SARA WOLFENSOHN, pianist
Born in Sydney, Australia, sara Welfensohn began her piano
studies in London, and continued them in New York at the
Juilliard School. Ms. Wolfensohn recently has played with the
San Antonio Symphony, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida, and
the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (under the direction of Charles
Dutoit). She completed a highly successful recital tour of Spain
and engagements with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the
Jerusalem Symphony. Previously, she performed with cellist
Matimlav Rostropovich in the Royal Birthday Concert at King's
Lynn Festival, England, and last year she accompanied his
American tour. She has toured Latin America several times and
has appeared at numerous music festivals, in the U.S. and
overseas.
Having made a successful London debut in 1985 with the Chamber
Orchestra of London at the Barbican Festival, Ms. Wolfensohn
returned in 1987 for three performances which included critically
acclaimed debuts with the Royal Philharmonic and with the
Philharmonia Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall. The London Sunday
Telegraph hailed the pianist as "sparkling
...
a name to watch. "
S
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IRC namay Center
THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
PUBLIC AFFAIRS/MARKETING/ADVERTISING
TELEFAX TRANSMISS/SM 15 P12: 18
To:
Carol Blymire
Telefax Phone Number: (202) 456-6218
From:
LAURA Longley
Date: 4/15/91
Number of Pages (including cover sheet):
Carse-
The materials are coming by
messanger.
my phone is 416-8430;
FAX 416-8421
Lawn
Washington, DC 20566-0001
Phone: 202 416 8420
Telefax: 202 416 8421
APR 15 '91 11:06 THE KENNEDY CENTER
P.2
The Kennedy Center
THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20666-0001
202 416-8000
FAX 202 416-8205
TO:
Carol Blymire
FROM:
Laura Longley
DATE:
April 15, 1991
RE:
April 22 White House Reception for the
Kennedy Center - President's Remarks
Carol,
Thanks for your patience and for inviting our input.
I'm sending via messenger today the following materials:
"The Dream" This is a section of a report on the
Kennedy Center prepared by James D. Wolfensohn in response
to a request from Governor Sununu in February 1990. As the
document unfolds, specific requests were made of the
Administration, which the Administration subsequently
supported. I am sure you know that the Administration's
support resulted in unprecedented support on Capitol Hill
for relief of the Center's long-accrued debt. Details are
given in the Annual Report (noted below).
One of the important aspects of the Sununu document
--and the resulting initiatives under James Wolfensohn's
chairmanships--has been to demonstrate the private support
for the Center through increased giving.
The April 22 reception recognizes this new
commitment: 19 corporations, 17 individuals, and one
foundation, have made commitments to two new leadership
efforts for a combined total of approximately $3 million in
new funds to be received over a three-year period. These new
fund-raising efforts have been led by Kennedy Center
Chairman James D. Wolfensohn, the Trustee Development
Committeee, headed by Dina Merrill Hartley, and William A.
Schreyer, chairman and CEO, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
"Video Talking Points" document--This
memo was to brief Chairman James Wolfensohn on key points
about the Center's role as the national center for the
performing arts and its new national vision. See
"Finance and Fund-Raising" on where new initiatives with
APR 15 '91 11:06 THE KENNEDY CENTER
P.3
the private sector fit into an emerging private/public
partnership operations. for the Center's programming and building
New Kennedy Center Corporate Fund brochure--in
support of the corporate campaign to boost private corporate
giving to the national center for the performing arts.
Wolfensohn's letter and Corporate Fund Chairman William
Schreyer's lay out some useful points.
Draft of Mobil Op-Ed piece (due to run shortly): This
piece again gives context on the private support issue, and
also should give you some idea of what's important
artistically in the Center's programs in the coming year.
What they don't go into great detail on-given that Exxon is
the sponsor--is the TEXAS FESTIVAL AT THE KENNEDY CENTER.
Since the President and Mrs. Bush are Honorary Chairpersons
of that Festival, he/she might like to note it, perhaps in a
reference to upcoming programming that fulfills the Center's
national mission. Press releases on the Texas Festival are
also included.
Annuel Report: This copy went to the printer Friday.
I'm including it only because it gives you the complete
rundown on the Wolfensohn agenda, the new federal funding,
and the past year's activities in several key areas,
particularly programming.
Mstislav Rostropovich, cellist, bio
Sara Wolfensohn, pianist, bio
Reminder: there: Our Congressional Trustees are expected to be
Senator Mark Hatfield
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Senator George J. Mitchell
Rerpesentative Joseph M. McDade
Representative Charles Wilson
Representative Sidney R. Yates
CC: Marc Breslaw Barbara Hall, Gerry Otrema
APR 15 '91 11:07 THE KENNEDY CENTER
P.4
THE DREAM
1.
The nation's capital deserves a performing arts center
which is renowned nationally and internationally. It
should be part of the heartbeat of the nation. It should
be daily proof that this Administration and the Congress
care about its cultural history, its cultural diversity,
and that they wish to see the best preserved and performed
and honored in the nation's capital so that the heritage
can be passed to future generations. Each year regional
or state groups. should perform at the Center--to be
recognized by the Congress and the Administration. Other
nations should send their best performers and creative
talent to Washington, for it is here that the nation can
receive the best of other lands.
APR 15 '91 11:07 THE KENNEDY CENTER
P.5
11
2.
Kennedy Center should stand for excellence. It should
establish standards. It should be alive and take risks
on the young and the talented. It should be confident
in the fact that by performing the best in the arts, by
encouraging the creative in our society, by educating
the youth, and by enhancing the cultural diversity in
our land, the Kennedy Center is playing a unique role in
proving to the nation and to the world that we care
about our culture and our children. We must show that
we are aware that spiritual and cultural values make us
civilized and enrich the lives of our citizens.
3.
The Kennedy Center should not be regarded as in
competition with any of the performing arts
organizations or theatrical complexes in the nation. It
should work with artistic centers throughout the country
on joint initiatives in programming and in presentations
and in providing a venue for a national recognition of
the performing arts. While the Center is not involved
in presenting the full spectrum of the performing arts,
it can and should work with local national and
international bodies to present coordinated programming
of an innovative and unique kind. For example: a
tribute to Latin/American culture in music theater and
dance, a tribute to Mozart's 300th Anniversary in 1992
with performances of orchestral chamber music,
instrumental, and operatic performances, a festival of
the best in American drama with the greatest American
actors of the day. The existing management of the
Center has many ideas. They should be encouraged to
work together and with outside producers and presenting
organizations to develop innovative programs.
4.
Several times each year there should be a festival of
the performing arts for a state or city in the nation.
Once or twice each year there should be an international
festival built around a great performing arts
organization like the Vienna Opera, La Scala or the
Berlin Philharmonic. New works of American creative
writers and composers should be commissioned for initial
Washington performances. Young actors, dancers, and
musicians should be given scope to perform at the Center
as a recognition of their talents.
5.
The education program should be broadened, deepened, and
more clearly defined in terms of its objectives. There
should be clear national and local goals developed in
close cooperation with national, regional, and local
educational bodies. The Kennedy Center should develop
the best education programs and, by its leadership set
standards for others to follow. Absolutely nothing is
more important than educating our youth.
APR 15 '91 11:08 THE KENNEDY CENTER
P.6
12
6. More members of the minority communities must be
attracted to participate every night at the Kennedy
Center. The Center must set out to attract a broader
audience by a combination of education, free or
subsidized tickets and arrangements to welcome first
time visitors to the Center to make them feel at home.
Kennedy Center must strive to develop an audience that
is rich in its cultural diversity and age distribution.
7. The Center must be alive. Youth has to be attracted,
not only to school concerts, but also to programs geared
to those who have left school and are in the early years
of their working or college lives. Special programming
is needed for this as well as subsidized seating.
8.
The Washington community must become more involved.
The Kennedy Center is both a national and a local
institution. By virtue of its governance established
under the framework of the Smithsonian, and with the
Presidential appointment of Members of the Board of
Trustees and Board of Advisors, there are few locals
actively involved in the top of the Center. Ways must
be found to make Washingtonians feel it is their Center
as well as the nation's Center. Their involvement is
crucial for audience development as well as for
fundraising.
9.
Most important of all, the Kennedy Center must stand for
excellence, setting the highest standards for creativity
for encouraging our young both as croators, performers
and as members of the audience. The Kennedy Center must
be as significant to Washington as the Bolshoi Theater
is to Moscow.
(Magazine Calendar Description)
REVISED 3/25/91
TEXAS FESTIVAL
AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
James D. Wolfensohn, Chairman
JUNE 1991 TEXAS FESTIVAL AT THE KENNEDY CENTER--WASHINGTON D.C.
Georgette Mosbacher, Festival Chairman
From June 11-22 the Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center, chaired by Georgette
Mosbacher, celebrates the entire spectrum of the rich culture and lively arts of
Texas. Presentations include the Houston Ballet in a world premiere of a Paul
Taylor ballet with music of the Andrews Sisters, Fort Worth Ballet, Rosa Guerrero
International Folklorico, Eduardo Montemayor's Ballet Fantasia Espanola, Dallas
Black Dance Theatre; two theatrical productions-In The West and Camp Logan; the
movie Giant and other films, and a variety of music--Dallas Symphony and pianist
Alexei Sultanov, Thouvenel String Quartet, Chamber Players of Austin, Texas Boys
Choir, a Gospel Choir, and popular artists including the Accordion Kings, Ray
Benson's Asleep at the Wheel, the trio of Angela Strehli, Marcia Ball and Lou Ann
Barton, Bells of Joy, Bobby Blue Bland, C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band;
Guy Clark, Albert Collins, Rodney Crowell, Jim Cullum and his Jazz Band, Joe Ely,
Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Nanci Griffith, Butch Hancock, Little Joe Hernandez, Sara
Hickman, Tish Hinojosa, Robert Earl Keen, Jr., Kris Kristofferson, Delbert
McClinton, Willie Nelson, Cris O'Connell, Darden Smith, Texas Playboys, Texas
Tornados, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Katie Webster and Kelly Willis.
Who: Individual performers and troupes from Texas
What: Symphony, chamber music, bands, choral music, gospel, folk,
pops, ballet, dance, theater, films, multi-media, exhibits,
authentic Texas food, Festival Ball--free and paid events.
Where: Concert Hall--2,759; Eisenhower Theater--1,142; Public Spaces;
Terrace Theater--513; American Film Institute Theater--224
When: June 11-22, 1991; Performances: 40 +/-; Budget: $2-2.5 million
c/o The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. 20566
(202) 416-8000 Administration
(202) 467-4600; (800) 444-1324 Tickets and Information
PRESS ONLY, CONTACT: Mary Johnson (202) 416-8445, Media Relations
THE JOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Washington, D.C. (202) 416-8310
TEXAS FESTIVAL
AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
RELEASED 2/13/91
UPDATED 2/22/91
KENNEDY CENTER CHAIRMAN JAMES D. WOLFENSOHN AND
RON HADDOCK, TEXAS FESTIVAL CORPORATE FINANCE CHAIRMAN,
ANNOUNCE SPONSORS FOR TEXAS FESTIVAL AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
WASHINGTON, DC, and DALLAS, TX, February 13, 1991--Kennedy Center
Chairman James D. Wolfensohn and Ron Haddock, Texas Festival
Corporate Finance Chairman, today announced the corporations,
foundations and individuals joining Exxon--the major corporate
sponsor of the Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center--in support of
the first state festival at the nation's center for the performing
arts June 11-22.
In making the announcement James Wolfensohn said, "One of the
major roles of the Kennedy Center is to bring to national attention
the finest artists from every corner of our country. With Texas, we
chose a very big corner. Thanks to the success of our ongoing
fund-raising efforts in Texas," he added, "I am proud to announce
that we will be able to bring an appropriately rich array of
outstanding artists to the Festival to represent this great state.' "
Ron Haddock said, "As the corporate campaign reaches its final
stages with more than 90 percent of its $2 million goal reached, I
would like to express my gratitude to the companies that have
committed to the success of the Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center.
It is rewarding to be able to announce such an impressive list of
corporate sponsors."
NOTE: Corporate, Foundation, Individual and other gifts are listed on
the following two pages.
- more -
THE JOHN F.KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Washington, D.C. (202) 416-8310
Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center - Donors/2
The following gifts were announced in October and November 1990:
- $500,000 given by Exxon, the major corporate sponsor of the
Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center
- $220,000 (estimated income) from the Rosewood Crescent
Endowment Fund established by Kennedy Center Trustee
Caroline Rose Hunt
- $100,000 from FINA (of which Haddock is president and CEO) to
underwrite, in part, the production of Houston
playwright Celeste Bedford-Walker's play, Camp Logan.
In addition, the company is providing in-kind support
for the Festival fund-raising effort.
In addition, the following gifts have been pledged to support the
Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center:
Two new gifts of $100,000 have been secured--one from OxyChem and
the other from EDS (for support of the June 19 "Juneteenth" Gospel
program).
Four $50,000 pledges have been made--two of these are from Union
Pacific Resources and the Dallas Cowboys. In addition to $50,000,
J.C. Penney, Inc. will lend the Center its "Texas Lifestyle Exhibit"
for display during the Festival. Southwestern Bell Telephone has
pledged support to underwrite a June 16 double bill featuring the
Rosa Guerrero International Folkorico and Eduardo Montemayor's Ballet
Fantasia Española.
Many companies are contributing $25,000 or more. These are Vinson
& Elkins; Halliburton Foundation, Inc.; Shell oil Company; American
General Corp.; Godwin, Carlton & Maxwell; Tandy Corp.; Oryx Energy
Company (whose gift is designated for an evening of Tejano music),
Dresser Foundation, Inc., and Phillips Petroleum Co.
Additional corporate contributors include: Mesa Limited
Partnership; Ernst & Young; ARCO; The Staubach Co.; GTE Southwest,
Inc.; Goldman, Sachs, & Co.; Levenson, Levenson & Hill; KPMG Peat
Marwick; Houston Chronicle; Austin Industries, H.E. Butt Grocery Co.,
Collmer Semiconductor, Inc.; The First Boston Corp.; Wilmer, Cutler &
Pickering, Thompson & Knight; Pennzoil Co.; TransAmerica Criterion;
Johnson & Gibbs, P.C.; Alexander & Alexander of Texas, Inc.; Frito-
Lay, Inc.; McKinsey & Company, Inc.; Grace Energy Corp.; Randall's
Food Markets, Inc.; Baker & Botts; HCB Contractors, and Enserch Corp.
- more -
Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center - Donors/3
Foundation grants include $150,000 pledged by The Brown
Foundation, Inc., to commission a new work choreographed by Paul
Taylor for the Houston Ballet using music by the Andrews Sisters.
(The Brown Foundation grant is contingent upon the Kennedy Center
raising the balance of funds needed for this new production.) The
Houston Ballet will give the world premiere (June 20) and three
additional performances at the Center during the Texas Festival.
This work is the first to result from the Kennedy Center's new ballet
commissioning project involving six American companies and
choreographers.
Also supporting the festival are The Eugene McDermott Foundation,
Strake Foundation, Trammel Foundation, El Paso Community Foundation
and Lanward Foundation.
Individuals are also contributing to the Festival. Generous
gifts have been made by Caroline Rose Hunt and Mrs. Wesley West, with
additional gifts received from John and Arlene Dayton, John Cox, Jim
Boldrick, Earle Craig, Zuma Renaud and Roy A. Baze, among others.
Two campaigns targeting individuals are being launched this
month: "Texans in Washington," chaired by Sally and Buck Chapoton and
Dorothy and Bill McSweeny, had a successful kick-off February 4 at
the home of Sylvia de Leon and Lynn Coleman with Texas Governor Ann
Richards in attendance; chairpersons in cities across Texas will be
hosting events over the next two months to share the story of the
Texas Festival with their friends and colleagues.
The Festival also has been supported by a $25,000 gift from the
American Bicentennial Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Many corporations, foundations and individuals supporting the
Festival are making gifts specifically to enable a performing group
or individual artist from their own city to participate. El Paso
sources, for example, have earmarked gifts for the presentation of
the Rosa Guerrero International Folklorico, while Midland fund
raisers have been bringing in gifts to support the Thouvenel String
Quartet.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Tiki Davies, Director
Dancie Perugini Ware Public Relations
Kennedy Center Media Relations
Houston, Texas
(202) 416-8440
(713) 224-9115
TEXAS FESTIVAL
RELEASED 2/13/91
AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
UPDATED 3/12/91
TEXAS PLAYBOYS, C.J. CHENIER, RODNEY CROWELL, NANCI GRIFFITH,
WILLIE NELSON, JERRY JEFF WALKER, MANY OTHERS
IN TEXAS FESTIVAL AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
El Paso's Rosa Guerrero International Folklorico, San Antonio's Ballet
Fantasia Española, Midland-Odessa's Thouvenel String Quartet,
Chamber Soloists of Austin, Plus the Film "Giant" on Main Stages
"Texas Roadhouse Cafe" Presents Kaleidoscope of
Famous Texans from All Parts of State in Unique Western Swing,
Tejano, Country, Gulf-Style Cajun, Blues, and Folk Music
AUSTIN, TX, and WASHINGTON, DC--Texas Governor Ann Richards and James
D. Wolfensohn, chairman of the Kennedy Center, today announced the
diverse Texas artists and groups who will appear at the national
center for the performing arts in Washington, D.C., during the Texas
Festival at the Kennedy Center--the first festival to celebrate the
lively arts of an entire state.
In making the announcement Governor Richards said, "I care about
the arts. Not only do I tell this to Texans, now I can tell the world
as well. The Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center is our opportunity
to showcase Texas talent--and this is important because not only does
it feed our spirits, but it is good for business. With the Kennedy
Center's Texas Festival, we are going to put Texas on the cultural
map. "
"One of the major roles of the Kennedy Center is to bring to
national attention the finest artists from every corner of our
country," said Chairman Wolfensohn. "With Texas, we have chosen a
state rich in talent and diversity. We are very proud to share this
initiative with a great and enthusiastic state."
The current schedule for the June 11-22 Texas Festival at the
Kennedy Center, listed by theater and subject to change, begins on the
following page. (Note--Texas hometowns and/or cities of residence are
in parentheses.)
- more -
THE JOHN E KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Washington, D.C. (202) 416-8310
MAJOR FESTIVAL UNDERWRITERS
Texas/2
The Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center is being made possible
through the generous support of corporations, foundations and
individuals. Exxon, the major corporate sponsor, is supporting the
Festival with a leadership gift of $500,000. An estimated $220,000
generated by the Rosewood Crescent Endowment Fund, established by Kennedy
Center Trustee Caroline Rose Hunt, is being made available to the
Festival. Other major gifts secured by Texas Festival Finance Chairman
Ron Haddock include $100,000 plus in-kind support from FINA, and $100,000
each from OxyChem and EDS. A pledge of $150,000 from The Brown
Foundation, Inc. will make possible a world premiere ballet from the
Houston Ballet. (The grant is contingent upon the Kennedy Center's
raising the balance of the necessary funds for the new production.)
Additional gifts and specific artistic sponsorships are detailed in the
accompanying release and performance directory.
TEXAS ROADHOUSE CAFE (200 seats) POPULAR MUSIC
(in the Kennedy Center's rooftop Encore Cafe)
An innovative Texas Roadhouse Cafe, set up on six festival nights
in the roof-level Encore Cafe and featuring Texas food and drink, will
present a broad spectrum of Texas musical styles, including Western
Swing, Tejano, Country, Cajun, Blues, and Folk.
June 12--Country: Jerry Jeff Walker (Austin) and Kelly Willis (Austin)
June 13--Blues/Rock: Delbert McClinton (Fort Worth) and the Antone's of
Austin team of Angela Strehli (Fort Worth), Marcia Ball
(Austin) and Lou Ann Barton (Fort Worth)
June 14--Zydeco (a mixture of Cajun and Rock styles)/Blues/Rock
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (Orange) ; C.J. Chenier (Port Arthur)
and the Red Hot Louisiana Band (which is really from Texas),
plus Katie Webster (Houston)
June 16--Contemporary Folk/Country: Sara Hickman (Dallas) ; Darden Smith
(born in Brenham, lives in Austin) ; Joe Ely (born in Amarillo/
lives in Lubbock)
June 19--Folk/Country: Townes Van Zandt (Houston) ; Guy Clark (born in
Monahans/lives in Houston) ; Robert Earl Keen, Jr. (born in
Houston/lives in Bandera) Butch Hancock, (Lubbock), Jimmie
Dale Gilmore (Lubbock)
June 20--Western Swing: Seven original members of Bob Wills' Texas
Playboys: Johnny Gimble (Tyler) i Leon Rausch (Arlington) ; Herb
Remington (Houston) i Eldon Shamblin (Amarillo) ; Bob Boatright
(Mansfield) i Tommy Perkins (Oklahoma City, OK) i Curly
Hollingsworth (Waco)
plus Asleep at the Wheel (Austin), Chris O'Connell (Austin);
Jody Nix (Big Spring)
- more
Texas/3
CONCERT HALL (2,750 seats) -- CLASSICAL, GOSPEL and POPULAR MUSIC
A spirited finale to the Texas Festival will be "A Night of Texas
Songs and Songwriters" in the Concert Hall on Saturday, June 22,
featuring five-time Grammy winner Willie Nelson (of Austin), Rodney
Crowell (Houston), and Nanci Griffith (born in Seguin/lives in
Austin). Making special guest appearances on the program will be
Texas' leading Tejano singer, Little Joe Hernandez (El Paso), Kris
Kristofferson (Brownsville) and Guy Clark (Monahans/Houston). This
Concert Hall program and the Roadhouse performances will be videotaped
on high-definition television by Rebo High Definition Studio of New
York city.
Earlier in the Festival, the Kennedy Center Concert Hall will host
a richly textured evening of Gospel music in a traditional celebration
of "Juneteenth" on June 19 (sponsored by EDS), the day of emancipation
celebrated by Black Texans since the freeing of the slaves. This
program will feature such performers as Bells of Joy (Austin) and a
special Texas Exe's Gospel Choir. Led by The Rev. Donald Vails, the
choir members are Texans living in the Washington metropolitan area.
Other Festival attractions in the Concert Hall are the previously
announced Dallas Symphony Orchestra with Alexei Sultanov, the 1989
winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (June 15),
and the Texas Boys
Choir (June 16).
TERRACE THEATER (500 seats) DANCE, THEATER, CLASSICAL & POPULAR MUSIC
Two separate programs in the Center's Terrace Theater are also
cast in the Roadhouse spirit. The first, on June 15 (sponsored by
Oryx Energy Company), features Tejano music, derived from the special
mix of musical cultures found at the Texas-Mexico border, with the
Texas Tornados (San Antonio), whose members include accordionist Flaco
Jimenez, keyboardist/singer Augie Meyers, guitarist/singer Doug Sahm,
and singer/guitarist Freddy Fender. The Tornados will be joined by
singer/songwriter Tish Hinojosa (San Antonio). On June 17, a full
evening of Texas Blues brings balladeer Bobby Blue Bland (Houston) and
guitarist/singer Albert Collins (born in Leona/lives in Houston) to
the Terrace.
- more -
Texas/4
TERRACE THEATER, continued
Also in the Terrace, a double bill (sponsored by Southwestern Bell
Telephone) with the brilliantly costumed Rosa Guerrero International
Folklorico (El Paso) and Eduardo Montemayor and his Ballet Fantasia
Española (San Antonio) will show the excitement and drama of Hispanic
and Mexican dance on June 16. Another double bill on June 18 features
the internationally known Thouvenel String Quartet, artists-in-
residence with the Midland-Odessa Symphony since 1977, and five
members of the Chamber Soloists of Austin.
Previously announced Texas Festival Terrace Theater presentations
are the play Camp Logan by Houstonian Celeste Bedford-Walker (three
performances June 20-22 sponsored by FINA) and In the West from
Austin's Big State Productions, a theater piece portraying a variety
of Texas characters (three performances June 12-14).
EISENHOWER THEATER (1,142 seats) FILM and DANCE
The 1956 color and Cinemascope film adaptation of novelist Edna
Ferber's GIANT won an Oscar for director George Stevens. A fictional
chronicle of several generations of a wealthy Texas family, the movie
stars Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. On June 11 in the
Eisenhower Theater, a beautiful print from George Stevens, Jr.'s
private collection will be shown (with intermission). After the
movie, the audience moves to the Roof Terrace for a barbecue and
Western dancing. (Washingtonians unschooled in the two-step can sign
up for lessons offered at the Kennedy Center on four consecutive
Mondays beginning April 29; call 202/416-8300 for details.) The
previously announced Texas Festival events in the Eisenhower Theater
are two performances by the Fort Worth Ballet (June 15-16) and four
performances by the Houston Ballet (June 20-22). The Houston Ballet's
program includes a world premiere ballet choreographed by Paul Taylor
to music of the Andrews Sisters. It is the first commission to result
from a new Kennedy Center commissioning project involving six American
ballet companies and choreographers.
- more -
Texas/5
TEXAS FESTIVAL FIESTA (Saturday, June 15, Noon to 6 p.m.) OUTDOORS
The Kennedy Center, on Saturday, June 15, from noon to 6 p.m.,
invites the public to attend a grand Texas-style fiesta. Free
entertainment by the Accordion Kings (who perform Polkas, Conjunto
from the Texas-Mexico border, Zydeco and Cajun music) and the Jim
Cullum Jazz Band (San Antonio) will issue from stages placed around
the Center's grounds. The Accordion Kings, who include numerous
individuals and groups, were brought together by Texas Folklife
Resources to highlight the musical history of the accordion in various
ethnic settlements in Texas. Plenty of room for dancing will be
provided.
The public is also invited to come on down with their string
instruments--banjos, fiddles, guitars--for a fun and festive country
and western Pickin'Jam. In addition to all this music and dancing,
any of a number of different Texas cuisines and beverages will be
available for purchase from booths on the Center's lawns. For those
who prefer seated dining, Restaurant Associates' Encore Cafe and Roof
Terrace Restaurant at the top of the Kennedy Center will provide
authentic Texas dining with the assistance of a guest chef from Texas.
TEXAS FESTIVAL EDUCATION EVENTS
Three free events to enhance the audiences' enjoyment of Texas
Festival productions are planned by the Kennedy Center Education
Department: a June 14 discussion of the origins of the theater piece
In The West by director Jim Fritzler; a June 20 discussion and
demonstration given by Ben Stevenson, artistic director of the Houston
Ballet, and members of the company; and a June 21 presentation of the
history and inspiration for Camp Logan by its playwright, Celeste
Bedford-Walker. These events are free to ticketholders.
AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE THEATER (224 seats) TEXAS FILMS
Showings of films with Texan themes are scheduled throughout the June
11-22 Festival in the American Film Institute Theater.
(Note: A schedule will be provided at a later date.)
PRESS ONLY, PLEASE CONTACT: Mary Johnson or Kelley Ryan (202) 416-8440
Kennedy Center Media Relations
FOLLOWING IS A CHRONOLOGICAL SCHEDULE, UPDATED MARCH 6, 1991, WITH
DATES AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
TEXAS FESTIVAL
AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
EMBARGOED UNTIL:
11 A.M., EST,
October 4, 1990
EXXON GRANTS MAJOR SUPPORT TO
JUNE TEXAS FESTIVAL AT THE KENNEDY CENTER;
KENNEDY CENTER ANNOUNCES MAINSTAGE ATTRACTIONS
Texas' Many Ethnic Heritages To Be Displayed Over Two-Week Festival
DALLAS-The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced that
Exxon will be the major corporate sponsor of the Texas Festival at the Kennedy
Center. The national performing arts center also announced the Texas artists
and arts groups who will perform on its main stages during the June 1991
festival.
The Exxon gift of $500,000 was announced by Kennedy Center Trustee Caroline
Rose Hunt, who was the first to support the festival with a pledge of
approximately $220,000--the amount of interest expected to accrue in the
Rosewood Hotels/Crescent Endowment Fund by June 1991. Kennedy Center Chairman
James D. Wolfensohn joined Hunt in thanking Exxon president Lee Raymond for
Exxon's lead corporate gift, which will make it possible to bring Texas
performing arts and artists to national attention.
Said Wolfensohn, "We extend our deepest thanks to Exxon--and to Caroline
Hunt, who brought Exxon and the Kennedy Center together. This generosity
- more -
THE JOHN E KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Washington, D.C. (202) 416-8310
Texas Festival Funding and Mainstage Announcement, 10/4/90, page 2
makes it possible for us to pursue our plans for this national showcase of the
richly diverse culture of Texas. It is our hope that Exxon's generous gift will
set the pace for the further private giving needed to insure the festival's
success."
Wolfensohn then went on to announce the first flight of Texas artists who
have been selected to perform on the Center's main stages during the June 1991
festival:
- Houston Ballet, which under the artistic direction of Ben Stevenson has
risen to the forefront of American ballet,-will give the world premiere of
a new Paul Taylor ballet-the first new ballet to be created under the
auspices of the Kennedy Center's recently announced ballet commissioning
project. That project will bring six new ballets to the Kennedy Center
over the next four years. (Four performances in the Eisenhower Theater,
June 20, 21, 22.)
- Fort Worth Ballet has experienced enormous growth in recent years under
the artistic direction of Paul Mejia, who is assisted with the Balanchine
repertoire by his wife, the American prima ballerina Suzanne Farrell.
(Two performances in the Eisenhower Theater, June 15, 16.)
- The Dallas Symphony, one of the nation's leading orchestras, is now
celebrating its 90th year, and its second sold-out season in its new
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. The orchestra will appear under the
baton of its distinguished music director, Eduardo Mata. (One performance
in the Concert Hall, June 15.)
- The Texas Boys Choir, a double winner of the coveted Grammy Award and an
internationally loved ensemble, is fluent in both the classical and
folk-song repertoire. (One performance in the Concert Hall, June 16.)
- Camp Logan (Mountaintop Productions) is a fact-based play written by
Celeste Bedford-Walker about the 1917 uprising of the all-black 24th
Infantry Regiment after its members could no longer endure the harassment
of the townspeople of Houston where it was stationed. (Three
performances in the Terrace Theater, June 15, 16, 17.)
- more -
Texas Festival Funding and Mainstage Announcement, 10/4/90, page 3
- In The West (Big State Productions), is a series of 18 monologue
portraits that illuminate the Southwestern spirit. Texan Jim Fritzler's
production was created in response to an exhibit of Richard Avedon's
photography. (Three performances in the Terrace Theater, June 12, 13,
14.)
The Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center, the first state arts festival to
be held at the national performing arts center, will also include a Juneteenth
Celebration, a Gospel Music Concert and a Country and Western Music Concert in
the Concert Hall. The Terrace Theater will host chamber music, Mexican folk
dance, Spanish dance, modern dance and contemporary music. Special arrangements
are also being made to present Texas performers in the Center's Encore Cafe in
the evening. All of these performers--as well as the many groups displaying the
varied ethnic heritages of Texas who will be presented in a free, six-hour, open
house extravaganza-will be announced later this month. In addition, films with
a Texas theme to be shown during the festival will soon be listed. Details on
the planned television gala will also be released as soon as possible.
A distinctive festival logo featuring the universally recognized symbol of
Texas, the "lone star," with a howling armadillo, the Southwest's indigenous
nocturnal animal, has been created by Bozell Inc., of Dallas, to symbolize the
festival. The logo will appear in many guises throughout the year, heralding
news of the Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center.
PRESS ONLY, PLEASE CONTACT:
Mary Johnson (202) 416-8445
Dancie Perugini Ware Public Relations
Kennedy Center Media Relations
(713) 224-9115 (Houston)
Washington, D.C. 20566
October 4, 1990
Corporate Fund Brochure
WILLIAM A. SCHREYER
CHAIRMAN
AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER
MERRILL LYNCH & CO., INC.
F
or 20 years, the Kennedy Center has stood as a
national and international symbol of excellence
in the arts. It represents the best that we can be
as a people-honoring the treasures of our past.
and holding the promise of our future.
More than 25 million people have enjoyed
performances at the Kennedy Center. But the impact
of the Kennedy Center extends far beyond its doors.
Through its education and public service programs,
through its touring performances and broadcasts,
the Kennedy Center has reached audiences numbering
Kennedy Center rids
in the hundreds of millions in America and around
the world.
and
By supporting the Kennedy Center, we make
an investment in our own future: in our children's
education, in our stature as a nation, and in our place
in history.
As chairman of the Kennedy Center Corporate
Fund, I am proud to offer my support and that of
Merrill Lynch to our national performing arts center.
I hope that you will join me.
William A. Schreyer
1
AMES D. WOLFENSOHN
CHAIRMAN
he Kennedy Center was built on a dream a dream
IOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER
to create, in America's capital city, a national per-
FOR THE
forming arts center to rival any other in the world.
PERFORMING
It would honor and encourage our country's most
ARTS
gifted artists, teach our children the value of
beauty, and carry the message and the joy of the
arts to all Americans.
Today the Kennedy Center has a new dream-
to set new standards of excellence not just in the arts
but in the presentation of the arts, and to be the best-
managed cultural organization in this country.
We are working toward this goal today, and our
success has been measurable. At the same time, we are
working to develop model education programs that
will benefit not just our children, but our children's
children; to illuminate and preserve our own rich
cultural heritage through state, regional, and inter-
national festivals of the performing arts, and to make
the best of the arts available to the broadest possible
audience through the medium of broadcast.
To accomplish these goals, the Kennedy Center
must depend upon major private sector support, of
which the Corporate Fund is a vital part. This year,
the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund has been ex-
panded to include a new "100 Club." To date, more
than 25 members of the American business commu-
nity have joined the "100 Club" by making a minimum
donation of $100,000 payable over a maximum of
three years. To those in this group, we offer recog-
nition at performances, entertainment within the
Center, and access to all of our activities. I urge you
to join them.
Your contribution to the Kennedy Center
Corporate Fund encourages excellence, honors our
country's best, and creates a legacy for our children.
Few gifts can do so much.
Jm James D. Wolfensohn
3
SETTING
In 1990, the Kennedy Center faced financial crisis: a
NEW
$17 million deficit, facilities in serious need of repair
STANDARDS
and refurbishment, and funding-primarily from
OF
corporate and private donors-that was inadequate
EXCELLENCE
to cover operating losses.
The Kennedy Center sought and was granted a
Congressional appropriation of $14.9 million to help
reduce the Center's accumulated deficit and an addi-
tional $14.4 million for essential building repairs.
Efforts to turn the Kennedy Center's financial
situation around had already begun even before the
Congressional appropriation was approved. A thor-
ough management study was undertaken, with a
resulting plan for reorganization designed to improve
the Center's operating efficiency at both the adminis-
trative and programming levels. A national study of
arts education programs has been initiated to build
on the best and to create programs that will serve as
models for cultural institutions across the country.
New signage and communications programs have
been installed to make the Center more accessible to
all segments of the public. A new focus was given to
the commercial viability of the Center's presentations,
in keeping with the Center's goals of increased ac-
countability and profitability.
Like most arts institutions, the Kennedy Center
cannot rely on ticket sales alone to cover its operating
expenses. While increased efficiency and cost-cutting
measures can help to reduce the Center's operating
deficit, it is only through sustained and substantial
private support that the Kennedy Center can continue
to set new standards of excellence in its programs.
In setting and meeting the highest goals for effi-
ciency, accountability, and administrative excellence,
the Kennedy Center seeks to make America's national
performing arts center the best-run cultural organiza-
tion in this country-an organization as deserving of
your support as the artistry which it presents.
PASSING
ON
Since opening its doors in 1971, the Kennedy Center
THE LEGACY
has taught a generation of American children the value
OF
of beauty-opening young eyes and ears to the joy of
THE ARTS
great performances, encouraging curiosity and cre-
ativity, providing role models, and seeding the dreams
of young artists and young audiences alike.
Creating model programs that reach far beyond
the doors of its theaters, the Kennedy Center pre-
serves the legacy of the arts for America's young
people. Your contribution to the Corporate Fund is an
investment in their future.
CARRYING
THE
Carrying the message of the arts has been part of the
DREAM
Kennedy Center's mission for 20 years. In annual
ACROSS
television broadcasts seen by millions, the Kennedy
AMERICA
Center Honors have brought home the life work of our
greatest living creators and performers-in moving
ceremonies that remind us of the richness of our cul-
ture and the abundance of our gifts.
More recently, the Kennedy Center has begun
an ambitious series of state and regional festivals
designed to bring our nation's best to our nation's
capital for the world to see and admire. The 1991
Texas Festival will focus national attention on the arts
and artists of the Lone Star State in the Center's first
state festival.
Since its opening in 1971, the
Kennedy Center has presented on its
six stages the best of the performing
arts from America and around the
world. Now plans are underway to
fully develop the Kennedy Center's
"seventh stage," television, to deliver
to the broadest possible audience
the best the arts have to offer. This is one part of the
Kennedy Center's dream. Your contribution to the
Corporate Fund can make it a reality.
Xenesed/LX
LL
DRAFT 3
4/9/91
OP-ED KENNEDY CENTER
S.L. DEY
4/9/91
CARRYING THE DREAM ACROSS AMERICA
There's no place within the heart of a nation where its timeless
ideals and aspirations are revealed more fully than in its arts.
Music, theater and dance convey the vision of a nation's culture
and the values it embodies. Twenty years ago the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors with this
mission: to carry the message of the best of this nation's arts
--- and the world's -- to all Americans.
What began as a fragile dream -- to build, in the nation's
capital, a national performing arts center the equal of any in
the world -- is now a flourishing reality. Over the years the
various stages of the Center have unveiled one major artistic
event after the other: the world's outstanding ballet companies
and innovative contemporary dance groups; great orchestras --
including its own National Symphony Orchestra -- and great
soloists; dramatic new plays and major musical theater.
Consider this season alone. The smash hit The Phantom of the
Opera comes to the Center in late May. The following month the
Center launches an ambitious series of state and regional
festivals showcasing our nation's rich cultural diversity. Next
year will bring a Festival of the Americas and, drawing on the
world for inspiration, a German Festival celebrating the
unification of East and West Germany.
This October through next June, audiences will be dazzled by
the Soviet Union's legendary Kirov Ballet plus five more great
companies, among them The Royal Danish Ballet, the American
- 2 -
Ballet Theatre and the Dance Theatre of Harlem. The two others,
America's Ballet West and Pacific Northwest Ballet, will premiere
works commissioned by the Center as part of its efforts to
develop emerging talent.
On the other side of the footlights, the Center has been
innovative in its education and public service programs.
This spring the Imagination Celebration Children's Arts Festivals
enthralls school and family audiences alike in 12 cities across
the U.S. as well as down under in Sydney, Australia. The American
College Theater Festival helps aspiring young students improve
their playwriting and acting skills. And under the Center's
auspices, the Arts Centers and Schools Institute brings together
performing arts centers and school districts to nurture the arts
in classrooms across America.
The Kennedy Center does all this and much, much more.
It's an impressive list of programs, but while building
operations enjoy federal support, offering the best of the arts
from across the nation and around the world requires private
funding--more money than comes from ticket sales alone. That's
why the Corporate Fund was created. It's an alliance of business
executives who work with Kennedy Center Chairman James D.
Wolfensohn and William A. Schreyer, Corporate Fund chairman, to
raise money to support the Center. Mobil and many other
companies have given since the Center opened. Perhaps your
company will also want to help. To find out more, please write
The Corporate Fund, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts, Washington, D.C. 20566.
By supporting the Kennedy Center, you'll be helping to carry
the experience and the joy of the arts to all Americans.
THE LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS
91 APR 12 All : 03
Date: 12 April 1991
FACSIMILE COVER PAGE
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Location:
White House
Telephone
FAX Equipment
Number: (
)
Number:
(
)
456-6218
FROM
Name:
Peter Fay
Location:
Performing Arts Library
Telephone
Number: (
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)
416-8786
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The Kennedy Center
THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20566-0001
202 416-8000
FAX 202 416-8205
FACT SHEET
The Building
Architect
Edward Durell Stone
Size
630 feet long, 300 feet wide, 100
feet high Grand Foyer (location of
the Robert Berks bust of President
John F. Kennedy) ; Hall of States;
Hall of Nations
Theaters
Eisenhower Theater
1971
Seating 1,100; wood panelled
interior; gifts from Canada, Cyprus,
Egypt, and Mexico
Opera House
1971
Seating 2,200; red and gold decor;
gifts from 22 African nations,
Austria, France, Iran, Ireland,
Japan, and Sri Lanka
Concert Hall
1971
Seating 2,700; white and gold decor;
gifts from Argentina, Denmark, Great
Britain, Israel, Norway, and
Switzerland
Terrace Theater
1979
Seating 500; silver and rose decor;
gift from the government and people
of Japan.
American Film
Institute Theater
1973
Seating 220
Theater Lab
Seating 380
Performing Arts Library
1979
A performing arts reference facility
operated jointly with the Library of
Congress.
P.02
9-4566618
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APR-12-1991 10:49 FROM PERFORMING ARTS LIBRARY
TOTAL P.03
The Kennedy Center
THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20565-0001
202 416-8000
FAX 202 416-8205
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
James D. Wolfensohn, Chairman
As the national center for the performing arts,
the Kennedy Center is a living presidential memorial
mandated by Congress to present and produce the finest
performing arts from this country and abroad.
Since it opened in 1971, the Center has come to
symbolize our nation's regard for the performing arts
and to serve as a dynamic national resource
contributing to the cultural enrichment of the United
States. Through its diverse presentations and its
nationwide education programs, the Center gives
millions of Americans a chance to learn about and enjoy
live performances. The Center recognizes American
accomplishment in this field by bringing the finest
performing arts programs from all over the country to
its stages and into the national spotlight. Hundreds of
talented Washington-area artists perform at the Kennedy
Center each year as well, and the Center is the home of
the National Symphony Orchestra, the American Film
Institute, and the Washington Opera. Annually, the
Kennedy Center actively assists and encourages both
aspiring artists and established performers through a
number of annual musical and theatrical competitions.
The Kennedy Center also has the nation's largest half-
price ticket program, made available each year to more
than 100,000 eligible students, senior citizens,
persons with permanent disabilities, enlisted military
personnel, and others on fixed low incomes.
Presenting more performing arts than any other
single institution in the United States, the Kennedy
Center is the largest cultural facility of its kind,
housing six theaters of varying sizes, designed to
offer exceptionally fine acoustics, sight lines, and
technical capacities, with performances and other
events offered every day of the year.
October 1990
20'd
9-4566218
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PERFORMING ARTS LIBRARY
FROM
10:50
1661-21-866
Music
The National Symphony Orchestra made interna-
tional headlines this year with its historic tour of
the Soviet Union, sponsored by Armand Hammer and the Armand Hammer
Foundation, Pepsico Inc., Procter & Gamble Fund and the United States In-
formation Agency, with ongoing support from the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts. In musically superb, emotionally charged performances
in Moscow and Leningrad, Maestro Rostropovich and the Orchestra earned
glowing reviews like this one in The Washington Times: "This performance
by Mstislav Rostropovich and the National Symphony Orchestra will go down
in history as one of the great events of our culture. The musicians and their
music covered in glory the name of the United States of America." The ex-
citement of that visit was also communicated to audiences across the United
States through a documentary, Soldiers of Music: Rostropovich Returns to
Russia, which aired on PBS and will be released internationally.
As musical ambassadors for the Kennedy Center and the nation, the NSO also
embarked on tours of Europe, sponsored by Northern Telecom, and Japan,
sponsored by Chase Manhattan Corporation. In addition, three of the Or-
chestra's members traveled to the Persian Gulf to perform for U.S. armed forces
stationed there.
At home, the NSO played a key role in the tributes accorded to the late Leonard
Bernstein, whose association with the Kennedy Center dated from the Center's
opening gala performance of Bernstein's Mass in 1971. Screenings of West
Side Story, a free concert by the U.S. Army Band, and other events led up to
the National Symphony Orchestra's tribute performances of Bernstein's music,
conducted by Music Director Mstislav Rostropovich.
The Orchestra, now in its 60th season, has also paid tribute to previous music
directors throughout the year and has welcomed such distinguished guest artists
as flutist James Galway, violinist Joshua Bell, pianist Alicia de Larrocha, and
conductors Yuri Temirkanov, Sir Neville Marriner, and Kurt Sanderling. In
June, the Orchestra traveled to the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, where it
was, for the fourth consecutive year, the resident orchestra of the Festival.
Among the many honors received by Maestro Rostropovich during the year
was the Columbia University Ditson Conductor's Award for contributions to
the advancement of American music. In addition, Rostropovich and the Or-
chestra were nominated for a Grammy Award for their recording of Boris
Godunov.
Other musical events of note included the inauguration of the Terrace Concerts
Jazz Series, with performances and commentary devoted to such masters of
this great American art form as Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk, and Jelly
Roll Morton. The popular Saturday evening series played to capacity crowds
in the Terrace Theater.
The Center's Friedheim Award for composition again drew international at-
tention. This year the Friedheim, which The New York Times has called "one
of the most prestigious prizes an American composer can win," was awarded
to William Kraft and Ralph Shapey, who tied for first place in the competition.
The 18 KemedyCenter
P.1
THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
PUBLIC AFFAIRS/MARKETING/ADVERTISING
TELEFAX TRANSMISSION
91 APR 18 A10: 03
To:
Carol Blymire
Telefax Phone Number: 202-456-6218
From: Laura Longley
Date: April 18, 1991
Number of Pages (including cover sheet): 1
Sometimes I forget the obvious. Did I mention that it would
be appropriate for the President to mention Jim Wolfensohn, Kennedy
Center Chairman and his leadership that has brought forward these
new initiatives?
Ack.
woy
Washington, DC 20566-0001
wm gress
dubmen
Phone: 202 416 8420
Telefax: 202 416 8421
FINANCE AND FUND-RAISING:
In the areas of finance and fund-raising, I will look back
on 1990 as the year we begn to set our financial house in
order.
Thanks to the support of Congress, we were able to set aside
most of a long-accrued deficit and begin to address the
Center's serious repair needs.
It was also the year we looked hard at how we spend money,
and how we can become more cost-conscious and cost-
efficient. And we looked at how and from whom we seek
private support.
To develop our fund-raising potential, this year we have
launched new leadership organizations--
*
the 100 Club for corporate leaders and
*
the Trustees Circle for individuals--
as well as an annual fund, with a first annual benefit for
the Kennedy Center.
We have vigorously pursued funds in Texas in support of our
first state performing arts festival the Texas Festival at
the Kennedy Center.
Meanwhile, we continue to look to the Kennedy Center Honors,
the National Symphony Orchestra Ball and Show House, and
many other activities throughout the year to assist in fund
raising.
EDUCATION
In education, we have been exploring the best ways possible
for the Kennedy Center to stimulate the arts of this nation
now and into the future through the education of people of
all ages, but particularly our young people.
In 1990 alone, more than 6 million people nationwide were
reached by the Kennedy Center's education and public service
programs.
*
Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration Children's Arts
Festivals delighted school and family audiences in 12
American cities as well as in Sydney, Australia
*
The Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival
brought the dream of a national spotlight to more than
18,000 young actors.
*
Cultural Consortium- In one of the Center's most
innovative programs, we joined with the Smithsonian
Institution and the Library of Congress, with
Washington's schools and recreation leaders to launch a
summer "Culture Corps" internship program, in which young
people from urban Washington conceived and designed a
program to promote young people's use of the city's vast
cultural resources.
"Arts Centers and Schools" Institute- A new Kennedy
Center initiative which brings together performing arts
centers and their school districts from all around the
country to learn how arts organizations and their schools
can bring the arts into the classroom through teacher
education.
Laura
The Kennedy Center
THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20566-0001
202 416-8000
FAX 202 416-8205
VIDEO TALKING POINTS-6 to 7 minutes, two complete takes
Hello. I am James Wolfensohn, chairman of the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, our nation's center
for the performing arts.
The Kennedy Center was built on a dream--a dream to create,
in America's capital city, a national performing arts center
to rival any other in the world. It would
*
honor and encourage our country's most gifted
artists,
*
teach our children the value of beauty, and
*
carry the experience and the joy of the arts to all
Americans.
Today the Kennedy Center has a new dream--to set new
standards of excellence not just in the arts but in the
presentation of the arts, and to be the best-managed
cultural organization in this country.
We are working toward this goal today, and I am happy to say
that our success has been measurable.
In 1990, when I accepted the challenge of becoming chairman,
the Kennedy Center faced financial crisis:
* a $17 million deficit
*
facilities in need of serious repair and
*
funding--primarily from corporate and private
donors-that was inadequate to cover operating
losses.
Today things are looking up:
*
The Center sought and received unprecedented
Congressional support to reduce the deficit and
initiate appropriate levels of support for building
operations.
*
A thorough management study was undertaken.
*
A national study of arts education programs was
initiated and a re-focus of the Center's arts
education programs was begun.
At the same time, we are working
*
to develop model education programs that will
benefit not just our children, but our children's
children;
*
to illuminate and preserve our own rich and diverse
cultural heritage through state, regional, and
international festivals of the performing arts, and
*
to make the best of the arts available to the
broadest possible audience through the medium of
broadcast.
to serve as a creative force in the performing arts
by collaborating with other cultural institutions on
new commissions and the presentation of emerging
artists
Like most arts institutions, the Kennedy Center cannot rely
on ticket sales alone to cover its operating expenses.
While increased efficiency and cost-cutting measures can
help to reduce the Center's operating deficit, it is only
through sustained and substantial private support that the
Kennedy Center can continue to set new standards of
excellence in its programs.
In setting and meeting the highest goals for artistic and
administrative excellence, the Kennedy Center seeks to make
America's national preforming arts center the best-run
cultural organization in this country--an organization as
deserving of support as the artistry which it presents. -
(FOUR Separate 1- to 1.5-Minute Takes)
PROGRAMMING
On our stages, we seek to present our nation's--and the
world's--finest artists while we reflect and stimulate the
diverse cultural life of America.
We are striving to accomplish this through our presentations
on the Center's six stages--
from the world's outstanding ballet companies to
innovative contemporary dance groups,
from great orchestras, including our own National
Symphony Orchestra, to great soloists,
from dramatic new plays to major musical theater.
State and regional festivals afford us with wonderful
opportunities for highlighting our nation's cultural
diversity. We are launching a series of festivals with the
Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center, bringing more than 500
exceptional artists from Texas to the Kennedy Center for two
weeks of performances.
We will be focusing on other states and regions in the
future and will also look to the world for inspiration. Our
current plans call for a German Festival and a 1992 Festival
of the Hemispheres.
We also are stimulating arts activity nationally through our
artistic commissions and program sponsorships. For example:
In our ballet commissioning project of six new works
involving six dance companies, we have (among others)
* a new work by Paul Taylor underway for the Houston
Ballet, which will premiere at the Center, and
* a new work by John Neumeier for Ballet West
Meanwhile, through our Education program, we recently
commissoned:
*
dance works by Alwin Nikolais (Nick - O - lie) and
Erick Hawkins
*
several new plays for young people
*
and we are collaborating with the Metropolitan Opera
in a program called "New Opera for New Ears." The
first two people with whom we are talking are Carly
Simon and Elvis Costello.
For audiences of all ages, we are supporting
the production of new American plays through our
Fund for New American Plays, which boasts the
Pulitzer- and Tony-Award-winning Heidi Chronicles among
the new works it has helped to launch.
ORGANIZATION / quality / service / community:
To make the Kennedy Center the best-run cultural
organization in the country, we are taking several major
steps, which include:
*
a thorough review of our management, with
a reorganization and the establishment of several
new key positions
*
the establishment of quality as central to our
vision for the center in its programming, its
management, its relationships with patrons and donors
the community, other institutions, and the nation
We are aiming to achieve a level of customer service
commensurate with the Kennedy Center's high artistic
standards.
Also, through a new local board, we are seeking to
strengthen our ties with the Washington community, SO we may
better serve the needs of Washington artists, young people,
and the community as a whole.
1990/9 Draval
Report
Programming: On stage and beyond
To present the best of the performing arts from America and around the world,
to illuminate the extraordinary diversity of Amerian culture, to develop the
audiences of the future, to encourage new artists and to support the creation
of new works-these were the dreams of the Kennedy Center's founders for
the national center for the performing arts. In the past year, we saw those
dreams come to life in brilliant performances on the Center's stages.
Dance
From the gala celebration of American Ballet
Theatre's 50th Anniversary to the ground-breaking
contemporary choreography of Mark Morris's Monnaie Dance Group, the
Center's dance season brought a breathtaking array of companies. We wel-
comed back the Australian Ballet and London's Royal Ballet, each returning
for the first time in more than a decade.
Japan's Matsuyama Ballet made its Ken-
nedy Center debut. Among the American
companies featured were Dance Theatre
of Harlem, San Francisco Ballet, Hubbard
Street Dance Company, and the powerful
performance art of Urban Bush Women.
Looking ahead, the year to come will bring
new works to the Center's dance stages
through an innovative commissioning
program funded in part by the National
Endowment for the Arts, the Lila Wallace-
Reader's Digest Fund, Inc., and the Brown
Foundation. The program, developed by
the Kennedy Center, will support the cre-
ation of six new ballets for American
regional companies, each of which will re-
ceive its world premiere at the Kennedy Center
and eventually be shared with all six partici-
pating companies. The first of these, a new work
by Paul Taylor created for Houston Ballet, will
be performed at the Texas Festival in June 1991.
2
Theater
Drawing on both the international and the
burgeoning regional American theater
playon
scenes, the Kennedy Center presented
Ireland's legendary Abbey Theatre in a
critically acclaimed production of The
Playboy of the Western World; the Good-
man Theatre's ethereally beautiful She
Always Said, Pablo and the hard-hitting
musical on ghetto life, Project!, both rep-
resenting Chicago's prolific theater com-
munity; and from the "third-smallest town
in Texas," the quirky, comic holiday hit,
A Tuna Christmas. The Kennedy Center
also hosted such New York successes as
Grand Hotel, The Musical; the delightful
farce Lend Me a Tenor; the roller-skating
blockbuster Starlight Express; and the in-
spiring South African musical Sarafina! The
current season also saw the presentation
of the new play Lucifer's Child, starring
Julie Harris, and The Heidi Chronicles, the
award-winning comedy whose creation was
supported by the Center's Fund for New
American Plays.
Looking ahead
Much of this year has been spent planning the
multi-cultural, multi-media Texas Festival at the
Kennedy Center, funded by Exxon and many other
generous donors from Texas. The first of many
such festivals, the Texas Festival will highlight the
rich cultural diversity of the American Southwest
with a dazzling collection of theater, dance, music,
and film from the Lone Star State. The box office
opening for the festival saw enthusiastic crowds
sampling a taste of Texas with food, live enter-
tainment, and special events-and resulted in a
near sellout of many of the performances, which
will begin in June 1991.
Other festivals in the planning stages include a
German Festival and a 1992 Festival of the Americas.
Education
Insuring a future for the arts through
the audiences of tomorrow
As the nation's performing arts center, the Kennedy Center's impact-and
responsibility-extends far beyond its doors. It reaches across America and
into the future. Perhaps nowhere is this responsibility more keenly felt or this
goal more truly achieved than in the Center's education programs.
In the past year alone, more than six million people were reached through the
efforts of the Kennedy Center Education department. With the support of the
U.S. Department of Education, the Center helped to bring the arts into the
classroom for more than five million American schoolchildren through the
efforts of its Alliance for Arts Education, a network of hundreds of teachers,
education administrators, lawmakers, and concerned individuals in 45 states.
The American College Theater Festival brought the
dream of a national spotlight to more than 18,000
students and 2,200 faculty members representing 550
schools. The festival, which culminates in a week of
free performances at the Kennedy Center, also spon-
sored numerous awards programs in playwriting,
design, criticism, and acting and cosponsored the
Shenandoah Valley Playwrights Retreat.
More than 500,000 young people and their families
attended performances of the Kennedy Center Imag-
ination Celebration, the national children's arts fes-
tival which presented a month of performances at the
Center and traveled to 12 U.S. cities and Australia.
More than 90.000 Washington-area young people and
their families enjoyed 200 free or low-cost perfor-
mances by the Kennedy Center Theater for Young
People, and 900 aspiring young actors and authors
participated in acting classes and playwriting
workshops.
The Kennedy Center Theater for Young People this
year established its Traveling Young Players, a troupe of multi-talented, multi-
ethnic young actors who will travel the Washington àrea presenting free
performances at such locations as the Children's Hospital, the National Zoo,
and Andrews Air Force Base.
In conjunction with performances at the Center, the Kennedy Center's Edu-
cational Services program presented workshops-and other educational events
for 7,600 secondary school students. 1.400 teachers, and 11,000 other adults
during the year.
10
The National Symphony Orchestra Education
Program gave 93,568 area residents the op-
portunity to attend specially priced concerts
designed to introduce elementary and second-
ary school students and their families to the
music of a symphony orchestra. Under the
leadership of the Orchestra's Affiliate Artist
Conductor. Randall Craig Fleischer, the Young
People's Concerts have served as a model pro-
gram for other orchestras, several of which
have asked to use NSO programs and scripts.
In addition. the NSO Young Soloists' Com-
petition, now in its 18th season, added nine
winners to its ranks, each of whom will per-
form with the NSO. Apprenticeships and
scholarships for advanced music students, a
high percentage of whom are from ethnic
minority groups, continue to be offered annually.
Teaching new audiences the value of the arts is just one of the goals of the
Kennedy Center's education programs. Creating new works for these and future
audiences is also a priority. The past year's Kennedy Center Education com-
missions included plays by James Still (Amber Waves) and Mary Hall Surface
(The Reluctant Dragon) and a new work created especially for young audiences
by the renowned choreographer Alwin Nikolais. The Kennedy Center is also
collaborating with the Metropolitan Opera in a program called "New Opera
for New Ears."
In creating model programs in arts education, the Kennedy Center has become
a national leader. One such far-reaching program currently being developed
is the institute for "Arts Centers and Schools: Partners in Arts Education."
Funded in part by a grant from the Toyota USA Foundation, this ambitious
program brought together the staffs of 14 regional arts centers and their neigh-
boring school systems to study the Kennedy Center's education programs as
models for their own. Institute participants saw the Kennedy Center's events
in action, examined how they are planned, implemented, and administered,
and now have the opportunity to explore potential applications in their own
centers.
Community Outreach
Bringing the arts home
The world knows the Kennedy Center as America's national performing arts
center. But Washington knows the Kennedy Center as a place for great per-
formances - a place that brings the arts home.
In an effort to better serve its hometown audiences, the Kennedy Center has
initiated major new programs designed to represent the arts and artists of
Washington on its stages. This year will see the formation of a new local board
composed of Washington's arts, business, and education leaders whose mission
will be to oversee the Center's efforts in this regard.
The Kennedy Center's education programs have served a generation of Wash-
ington-area young people and their families. The past year saw new initiatives
in this field, including the innovative "Culture Corps" internship program,
which brought together a group of 62 young people from urban Washington
to explore the city's vast cultural resources. The success of this program has
prompted the development of a year-round "Cultural Passport Program,"
which is intended to increase attendance and participation by the District's
young people and their families in the activities of the city's cultural institutions.
The Kennedy Center is joined in this project by Very Special Arts and its fellow
members of the Washington, D.C. Cultural Consortium, which include the
D.C. Public Schools, the D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks, the
Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, the
Smithsonian Institution, and the National Park Service.
Bringing Washington's artists to the Kennedy Center stages
has long been a goal of the Center. The "Washington, Front
and Center!" program, begun four years ago, was expanded
this year, presenting four performances of local choreog-
raphers, dancers, musicians, and international artists who
have made Washington their home.
The past year has also seen the birth of the New Young
Performers Series, a collection of free recitals by talented
young musicians representing schools in the District, Vir-
ginia, and Maryland. These noontime concerts, held in the Grand Foyer, are
sponsored by the Kennedy Center Office of Cultural Diversity Affairs. Also
new this year is the National Symphony Orchestra's Young Artists' Showcase
series, presenting winners of the Young Soloists' Competition in concerts that
both highlight local talent and provide an accessible introduction to classical
music.
Perhaps the most visible of the Center's programs that focus on its hometown
role is the Open House Arts Festival, which is made possible through the work
of the volunteers of the Friends of the Kennedy Center. This tremendously
popular annual event turns the Center "inside-out" with a day-long, Center-
wide celebration of the arts and artists of Washington. The 1990 Open House
welcomed dozens of performers and an audience of more than 50,000 people.
+innual Keport
The Kennedy Center
Setting new standards of excellence
Setting and meeting new standards of excellence in the presentation of the arts
has become the Center's highest priority. It affects every area of its operation,
including programming, management, and the relationship with patrons, do-
nors, the Washington community, other arts organizations, and the nation it
serves.
In the past year, much has been done to accomplish this goal. A thorough
review of the Center's management structure was conducted on a pro bono
basis by the management consulting firm of Cannon Devane. The Center's
management has been reorganized and several new key positions have been
created. Carolyn Reynolds has been named director of television and special
projects, Charles Meng has joined the Center as director of administration,
and Kenneth Kaufman has become the Center's in-house general counsel and
a member of the office of the chairman. A search
is currently underway for a chief operating officer
and an artistic director for theater.
To improve its relationship with patrons, the Center
has undertaken a broad and aggressive program
to achieve a standard of customer service that is
as high as the artistic standards that direct the
Center's programming. "Project Friendly," begun
in 1990, has brought about such welcome changes
as new signage throughout the building and a Center-
wide cleanup in which Kennedy Center staffers
rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to "take care
of this house."
In keeping with this new emphasis on customer
service, the Center's marketing and sales depart-
ment has set new goals for customer retention. It
is the goal of the staff to make each patron's ex-
perience with the Center, whether as a one-time
visitor or a season subscriber, as pleasant and con-
venient as it is artistically rewarding. In this way,
the Center will serve its patrons and itself best by encouraging repeated,
return participation by more members of its audiences. To accomplish this,
innovative new customer relations programs have been put in place, with new
incentives including personal service representatives and expanded benefits for
subscribers.
KENNEDY
[551] Dec. 17
Public Papers of the Presidents
setback. But I must say after being here for
the Communists would be dominant in the
can peo
2 years, and having the experience of the
world today, and because of us, we are in a
Look
Presidency, and there is no experience you
strong position. Now, I think that is a
pressed
can get that can possibly prepare you ade-
pretty good record for a country with 6 per-
myriad
quately for the Presidency, I must say that
cent of the world's population, which is very
lightenr
I have a good deal of hope for the United
reluctant to take on these burdens. I think
fulfillm
States. Just because I think that this coun-
we ought to be rather pleased with ourselves
to be b
try, which as I say criticizes itself and is
this Christmas.
crowde
criticized around the world, 180 million peo-
NOTE: The interview was recorded on December 16
unprece
ple, for 17 years, really for more than that,
in the President's office at the White House. It was
even su
for almost 20 years, have been the great
telecast on December 17 at 6:30 p.m. by the Colum-
buying
means of defending first the world against
bia Broadcasting System and the American Broad-
holiday
the Nazi threat, and since then against the
casting Company, and at 8:30 p.m. by the National
In the
Broadcasting Company. The program was also
Communist threat, and if it were not for us,
natural
broadcast by the major radio networks.
pursuit
The
552 Magazine Article "The Arts in America."
become
December 18, 1962
is spen
to basel
ONE AFTERNOON in the fateful year
In the year of 1941, Roosevelt himself re-
are cro
1940, the President of the United States had
called another President who also found time
munity
two callers. The first was Lord Lothian, the
in the midst of great national trials to con-
across
British Ambassador, who had just flown in
cern himself with artistic endeavors. It was
millior
from London to give Franklin D. Roosevelt
in the third year of the Civil War, as Roose-
ments.
an eyewitness account of the bombing of
velt told the story in a speech dedicating the
someth
London. The second was Francis H. Taylor,
National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and
which
museum director and authority on the his-
men and women had gathered to see the
in our
tory of art.
Capitol dome completed and the bronze
conten
Taylor waited for 2 hours while the Presi-
goddess of liberty set upon the top. "It had
tain V
dent and Lothian talked. When he finally
been an expensive, a laborious business,"
urging
entered, he found the President "white as a
Roosevelt said, "diverting labor and money
of life
sheet." Yet the President, we are told, kept
from the prosecution of the war and certain
neglec
Taylor in his office that afternoon for another
critics
found much to criticize. There
Too
hour and a half. Turning from a grim pre-
were new marble pillars in the Senate wing
the art
occupation with the war, Franklin Roosevelt
of the Capitol, there was a bronze door for
lover
talked about the arts in American life. He
the central portal and other such expendi-
have (
spoke of plans for broadening the apprecia-
tures and embellishments. But the President
artist
tion of art and looked forward to a day when
of the United States, whose name was Lin-
lonely
"every schoothouse would have contempo-
coln, when he heard these criticisms, an-
deprive
rary American paintings hanging on its
swered: 'If people see the Capitol going on,
turne
walls."
it is a sign that we intend this Union shall
strip
George Biddle, the distinguished Ameri-
go on.'"
cheap
can artist who records this meeting, adds on
Both Roosevelt and Lincoln understood
intens
his own: "Roosevelt had little discrimination
that the life of the arts, far from being an
As fo
in his taste in painting and sculpture. [But]
interruption, a distraction, in the life of a
he had a more clear understanding of what
wasto
jectin
nation, is very close to the center of a nation's
experi
art could mean in the life of a community-
purpose-and is a test of the quality of a
nation's civilization. That is why we should
VFK
seeks
for the soul of a nation-than any man I have
conse
known."
be glad today that the interest of the Ameri-
chat
To
904
brings
6th
dis
this
John F. Kennedy, 1962
Dec. I8 [552]
'ominant in the
can people in the arts seems at a new high.
sentiality of artistic achievement. This is
we are in a
Looking at the American scene, I am im-
part, I think, of a nationwide movement
that is a
pressed by its diversity and vitality-by the
toward excellence-a movement which had
ith 6 per-
myriad ways in which Americans find en-
its start in the admiration of expertness and
is very
lightenment, exercise, entertainment, and
skill in our technical society, but which now
hink
fulfillment. Everyone, young and old, seems
demands quality in all realms of human
es
to be busy. Our roads and seashores are
achievement. It is part, too, of a feeling that
crowded; the great parks draw visitors in
art is the great unifying and humanizing
unprecedented numbers. Sports thrive, and
experience. We know that science, for ex-
even such formerly humdrum activities as
ample, is indispensable-but we also know
buying groceries for the family take on a
that science, if divorced from a knowledge
holiday aspect in the new shopping centers.
of man and of man's ways, can stunt a civili-
[1SS]
In the midst of all this activity, it is only
zation. And so the educated man-and very
natural that people should be more active in
often the man who has had the best scientific
pursuit of the arts.
education-reaches out for the experience
The statistics are gratifying: books have
which the arts alone provide. He wants to
become a billion-dollar business; more money
explore the side of life which expresses the
is spent each year in going to concerts than
emotions and embodies values and ideals of
to baseball games; our galleries and museums
beauty.
are crowded; community theaters and com-
Above all, we are coming to understand
munity symphony orchestras have spread
that the arts incarnate the creativity of a free
con-
across the land; there are an estimated 33
society. We know that a totalitarian society
It was
million Americans who play musical instru-
can promote the arts in its own way-that it
ar, as Roose-
ments. And all this expresses, I believe,
can arrange for splendid productions of
1-dedicating the
something more than merely the avidity with
opera and ballet, as it can arrange for the
agton, D.C., and
which goods of all kinds are being acquired
restoration of ancient and historic buildings.
hered to see the
in- our exuberant society. A need within
But art means more than the resuscitation of
and the bronze
contemporary civilization, a hunger for cer-
the past: it means the free and unconfined
the top. "It had
tain values and satisfactions, appears to be
search for new ways of expressing the ex-
rious business,"
urging us all to explore and appreciate areas
perience of the present and the vision of the
abor and money
of life which, in the past, we have sometimes
future. When the creative impulse cannot
war and certain
neglected in the United States.
flourish freely, when it cannot freely select
criticize. There
Too often in the past, we have thought of
its methods and objects, when it is deprived
the Senate wing
the artist as an idler and dilettante and of the
of spontaneity, then society severs the root
bronze door for
lover of arts as somehow sissy or effete. We
of art.
r such expendi-
have done both an injustice. The life of the
Yet this fact surely imposes an obligation
But the President
artist is, in relation to his work, stern and
on those who acclaim the freedom of their
: name was Lin-
lonely. He has labored hard, often amid
own society-an obligation to accord the arts
e criticisms, an-
deprivation, to perfect his skill. He has
attention and respect and status, so that what
Capitol going on,
turned aside from quick success in order to
freedom makes possible, a free society will
this Union shall
strip his vision of everything secondary or
make necessary.
cheapening. His working life is marked by
I have called for a higher degree of physi-
coln understood
intense application and intense discipline.
cal fitness in our nation. It is only natural
r from being an
As for the lover of arts, it is he who, by sub-
that I should call, as well, for the kind of
in the life of a
jecting himself to the sometimes disturbing
intellectual and spiritual fitness which under-
nter of a nation's
experience of art, sustains the artist-and
lies the flowering of the arts.
the quality of a
Ants
seeks only the reward that his life will, in
A nation's government can expect to play
S why we should
consequence, be the more fully lived.
only an indirect and marginal role in the
est of the Ameri-
Today, we recognize increasingly the es-
arts. Government's essential job-the or-
90975-63-61
905
[552] Dec. 18
Public Papers of the Presidents
ganization and administration of great af-
pleasure of the community to the leadership
enlarge
fairs-is too gross and unwieldy for the
of the nation. In this vision, the National
Walt V
management of individual genius. But this
Cultural Center will play a vital role. The
it singi
does not mean that government is not, or
Center, which Congress has chartered and
today.
should not be, concerned with the arts. A
for which it has given land, aims to be part
Outsi
free government is the reflection of a people's
of a broad effort to stimulate the performing
stands t
will and desire-and ultimately of their taste.
arts. It was not conceived as a group of halls
try has
It is also, at its best, a leading force, an ex-
and theaters to benefit Washington audi-
share a
ample and teacher. I would like to see
ences alone. Here, visitors and tourists will
trades a
everything government does in the course
come throughout the year, bringing back to
of the C
of its activities marked by high quality. I
their communities a sense of what the per-
wait for
would like to see the works of government
formance of great works can mean in their
This
represent the best our artists, designers and
lives-and a proud realization that their Na-
world is
builders can achieve. I want to make sure
tion's Capital is a focus of creative activities.
Tocque
that policies of government do not indirectly
In many other ways, the National Cultural
the rem
or unnecessarily put barriers in the way of
Center will interact with the cultural life of
seemed
the full expression of America's creative
communities across the country. The finest
cans pr
genius.
of our symphony orchestras will play here;
intellect
The arts in the United States are, like so
local repertory theaters and opera and ballet
scarcely
many other of our activities, varied and de-
groups, increasing in numbers and profes-
perceive
centralized to a high degree. Private bene-
sional status, should find their appearance
with a t
factors, foundations, schools and colleges,
in the Nation's Capital a distinction eagerly
continue
business corporations, the local community,
sought. The Center will, I hope, become in
home 0
the city and the State combine in widely
the broadest sense an educational as well as
would b
differing proportions to organize and sup-
a cultural institution, helping to stimulate
clothes :
port the institutions of culture. I would
the formation of similar groups in other
cities. (
hope that in the years ahead, as our cultural
cities.
papers."
life develops and takes on new forms, the
Other countries have their national theater
Federal Government would be prepared to
and opera, permanently situated in the
play its proper role in encouraging cultural
553
capital and singled out for their govern-
activities throughout the Nation.
ment's special concern. Better fitted to the
In the Nation's Capital, the Federal Gov-
needs of the United States is the idea of the
ernment, of course, has special obligations.
Cultural Center, a great stage hospitable to
There is, first, the fact that the District of
the best coming from this country and
Prime M
Columbia lies directly within Federal juris-
abroad, an institution encouraging the de-
I want
diction. Beyond this, there is the fact that,
velopment of the performing arts in all their
warm w
as the Capital of our Nation, Washington in-
diversity of origin and variety of form. I
the sixtl
evitably becomes to a degree a showcase of
earnestly hope that the backing of citizens
West, tv
our culture. In other countries, capitals
across the country will make possible the ful-
once in
have been located in great cities with an
fillment of these plans.
And I de
historic identity and cultural life of their
To work for the progress of the arts in
much b
own. But Washington, it has been re-
America is exciting and fruitful because
delighte
marked, is a single-industry town, and that
what we are dealing with touches virtually
I am
industry is politics and statecraft. Such an
all the citizens.
better of
environment, some have said, provides bar-
There will always be of necessity, in any
but I fe
ren soil for the arts. Yet, despite this, the
society, a mere handful of genuinely creative
been be
community of Washington has done much
individuals, the men and women who shape
from the
to welcome and encourage cultural activity.
in words or images the enduring work of
have sh
Still, our vision must look beyond the
art. Among us, even this group tends to be
predeces
906
John F. Kennedy, 1962
Dec. 18 [553]
y to the leadership
enlarged. "I hear America singing," said
The cabin with its tiny window has van-
sion, the National
Walt Whitman. He would certainly hear
ished. Yet we might expect to find its
a vital role. The
it singing with many voices if he were alive
counterparts today in homes which would
has chartered and
today.
seem quite as remote from the arts. The
d, aims to be part
Outside the group of active participants
suburban housewife harassed by the care of
ate the performing
stands the great audience. Perhaps no coun-
her children, the husband weary after the
as a group of halls
try has ever had so many people so eager to
day's work, young people bent on a good
Washington audi-
share a delight in the arts. Individuals of all
time-these might not appear in a mood to
S and tourists will
trades and professions, of all ages, in all parts
enjoy intellectual or artistic pursuit. Still on
bringing back to
of the country, wait for the curtain to rise-
the table lie paper-bound reprints of the best
of what the per-
wait for the door to open to new enjoyments.
books of the ages. By the phonograph is a
can mean in their
This wonderful equality in the cultural
shelf of recordings of the classics of music.
tion that their Na-
world is an old American phenomenon. De
On the wall hang reproductions of the
creative activities.
Tocqueville, in the 1830's, described how on
masterpieces of art.
National-Cultural
the remotest frontier, in a wilderness that
To further the appreciation of culture
he cultural life of
seemed "the asylum of all miseries," Ameri-
among all the people, to increase respect for
intry. The finest
cans preserved an interest in cultural and
the creative individual, to widen participa-
as will play here;
intellectual matters. "You penetrate paths
tion by all the processes and fulfillments of
1 opera and ballet
scarcely cleared," said de Tocqueville; "you
art-this is one of the fascinating challenges
abers and profes-
perceive, finally, a cleared field, a cabin
of these days.
their appearance
with a tiny window." You might think, he
JOHN F. KENNEDY
listinction eagerly
continues, that you have come at last to the
NOTE: The article was printed in the December 18,
[ hope, become in
home of an American peasant. But you
1962, issue of Look magazine as part of a special
ational as well as
would be wrong. "The man wears the same
adaptation of "Creative America," a book sched-
ing to stimulate
clothes as you; he speaks the language of the
uled to be released in October 1963. The article-is
groups in other
cities. On his rude table are books and news-
printed herein through the courtesy of The Ridge
Press, Inc., publisher of the book.
papers."
I national theater
situated in the
or their govern-
553 Exchange of Remarks With Prime Minister Macmillan Upon
etter fitted to the
Arriving at Windsor Field in Nassau, the Bahamas.
is the idea of the
December 18, 1962
age hospitable to
is country and
Prime Minister:
hower, and also to the American people who
ouraging the de-
I want to express my appreciation for your
have a heavy claim laid on you from earliest
g arts in all their
warm words of welcome. As you say, this is
birth.
riety of form. I
the sixth meeting that we have had-Key
I want to express our appreciation to the
:king of citizens
West, twice in Washington, once in London,
people of the Bahamas for their welcome.
: possible the ful-
once in Bermuda, and now in the Bahamas.
The world looks-better today than it did
And I do think it fair to say that we really do
yesterday, and I am sure it's due to our
SS of the arts in
much better in warmer climates, so I am
pleasure in being on this island in the sun.
fruitful because
delighted that we are here today.
We thank you all for your warm welcome.
touches virtually
I am not sure that the world is so much
NOTE: Prime Minister Macmillan's remarks of wel-
better off after our previous five meetings,
come follow:
necessity, in any
but I feel that at least as President I have
Mr. President:
enuinely creative
been better off, and have benefited greatly
It is a very great privilege for me to be asked to
omen who shape
from the counsel and friendship which you
welcome you most heartily to the Bahamas on your
during work of
have shown to me, Prime Minister, to my
visit here today. We hope that you will enjoy your
roup tends to be
stay.
predecessor, your old friend General Eisen-
I would like to add perhaps that these forms of
907
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Schreyer-yes! Diña-yes!
camac per.
5:34 This 4/15
Classical
January 1991
with which to make her first appear-
ance with the Philharmonic Orches-
tra of Florida this month under
James Judd. "I love playing any
Mozart," she readily admits, adding
that she approaches the Classical
CHRISTIAN STEINER
master "with a great deal of emotion
but without exaggerated dynamics.
I'm always moved by the incredible
beauty of his music."
SARA WOLFENSOHN
Not that Wolfensohn has limited
Pianist
herself to Mozart alone. She'll also
BORN IN AUSTRALIA AND
be performing the Ravel Concerto
brought up in London and New
in G Major this month with the San
York, Sara Wolfensohn was perhaps
Antonio Symphony. And she's even
destined to become an international
made the occasional foray into con-
concert star. The daughter of the
temporary music, as evidenced by
well-known cultural philanthropist
her championing of the tango-influ-
James D. Wolfensohn, she was ex-
enced composer Astor Piazzolla,
posed to music at an early age, when
whose "Sunny's Game" she recently
artists of the likes of Daniel Baren-
premiered in Washington.
boim and Radu Lupu would play at
Actually, Wolfensohn was first
the family residence. "I always
introduced to Piazzolla's music
heard classical music in the house.
through the celebrated cellist Msti-
It was a kind of natural thing," she
slav Rostropovich, whom she has
explains in her modest manner.
frequently served as recital partner.
"We played games like 'Guess the
She describes the experience of play-
composer.' It was all tremendously
ing with him as "overwhelming,"
inspiring."
likening it to volleying with a great
Now, Wolfensohn is making
tennis master. "He's very precise
music of her own as one of today's
about what he wants," she explains.
rising young pianists. A Juilliard
"Sometimes we'll play something
graduate who still studies under the
100 times, even working up to the
legendary piano pedagogue Grant
last minute before a concert."
Johannesen, she has appeared in re-
But as much a role model as Ro-
cital and as guest soloist through-
stropovich has been to the young
out the United States and Europe,
musician, Wolfensohn is more apt
where she has garnered praise for her
to consider him a friend. She even
sensitive and alert brand of music
jokingly recalls the first time she
making. "Sara Wolfensohn gave a
spoke with Rostropovich: So con-
sparkling account of Mozart's Piano
vinced was Wolfensohn that it was a
Concerto in C Major (K. 467),"
prank being played on her by a
raved London's Sunday Telegraph of a
friend that she almost hung up on
performance with the Royal Phil-
him. But when he mentioned the
harmonic. "She showed all the signs
prospect of some upcoming dates,
of an instinctive Mozartean: springy
Wolfensohn says, "I knew no friend
but unexaggerated rhythms, nicely
would push it that far."
judged light and shade in the exqui-
As far as her future plans, Wol-
site, song-like slow movement and a
fensohn hopes to expand both her
degree of fluency which ensured
repertoire and her schedule, but she
that the finale's high-speed finger
doesn't want to push it to the point
work caused no problems whatso-
where she risks being "burned out."
ever. A name to watch."
As she confidently concludes, "Now
And Wolfensohn has chosen an-
is the time for me to learn."
other Mozart concerto, K. 271,
Charles Passy
CLASSICAL / JANUARY 1991
Mstislav Rostropovich
The current season is Music Director Mstislav Rostropovich's 14th at the
helm of the National Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Orchestra's own
60th season. Rostropovich's leadership is among the longest and most
impressive of those of current music directors of major American
orchestras. In addition to the commemorations mentioned above, 1990
marked the 50th anniversary of his debut (at the age of 13 in Slavyansk)
and the 25th anniversary of his debut with the National Symphony
Orchestra.
Last year saw a burgeoning of the National Symphony's
international reputation under Rostropovich's direction. Highlights have
included the National Symphony's first tour to the USSR (an event
covered by the world's media, as it was Maestro Rostropovich's first
trip back to the Soviet Union since his departure in 1974) its third
tour to Japan, as well as four recent recording releases.
Other major achievements during his tenure with the
National Symphony Orchestra include: extensive touring of the United
States and abroad, several critically acclaimed recordings, seven years
of nationally broadcast concerts (the first in the Orchestra's history)
and several televised concerts, all leading to greatly enhanced national
and international recognition of the National Symphony Orchestra's
artistry. Under Maestro Rostropovich's guidance, the Orchestra has
commissioned works by some of the world's most distinguished composers
and has begun, with the Sidney L. Hechinger Foundation, a commissioning
project designed to create new orchestral works, with special
encouragement given to American composers. The first of the Hechinger
Commissions, Stephen Albert's Symphony RiverRun, won the 1985 Pulitzer
Prize for Music. For his many achievements, but particularly for
accomplishments with the National Symphony, Maestro Rostropovich was
named Musical America's 1987 Musician of the Year.
His personal career is extraordinary and has been
distinguished by an enviable diversity, bringing him recognition as
conductor, cellist, and pianist; as one of today's most important
catalysts for the creation of contemporary music, and as one of the
world's most outspoken defenders of human rights. His 60th birthday was
celebrated with gala concerts and festivals in Washington, New York,
Boston, Paris, London, and Tokyo, as well as a musical cruise in the
Mediterranean. Among the recent accolades that have been showered upon
him are Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British
Empire, Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of West Germany, Commander
of France's Legion of Honor, membership in the Academy of Arts of the
French Institute, often called "the Forty Immortals,' and, from the
United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
4/16/91
Call Cathy
Fenton
7064
3:16
TO TS COPY
(Hinchliffe/Blymire)
April 15, 1991 1 p.m.
KENNEDY Draft One
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: KENNEDY CENTER MUSICALE RECEPTION
Monday, April 22, 1991
State Floor
It's a pleasure for all of us here to be sharing in a dream
of President Kennedy's. For he yearned to see an America which
valued the arts as well as business, or science, or politics. And
he once said: "Roosevelt and Lincoln understood that the life of
the arts
is very close to the center of a nation's purpose --
and is a test of the quality of a nation's civilization."
Tonight we pay tribute to his vision. And to yours. For
you men and women, and the corporations some of you represent,
share his conviction that this country must care deeply about our
cultural history. That the arts must play a crucial role in the
enrichment of our society. That we have the opportunity and obli-
gation to pass on our artistic heritage to future generations.
And you are here because you also believe that our Kennedy
Center plays a unique -- and key -- role in the preservation and
understanding of our rich cultural diversity. For it is our
national center for the performing arts. More than 25 million
people have seen artistic or educational outreach programs there.
Hundreds of millions have experienced them on television and
radio throughout the world. The brilliance and breadth of its
programming reminds us that spiritual and cultural values make
our lives worth living. And our nation worth celebrating.
You people here tonight are saying all of this for the whole
country to hear. Your generosity shows that you firmly believe
2
in the value of the arts. And you are demonstrating that you
just as firmly believe in the necessity and feasibility of
private/public partnerships.
Last year, the Congressional Trustees who are here tonight
led a quest that resulted in unprecedented Congressional funding
to rescue the Center. Then, under the visionary leadership of
John Wolfensohn, this extraordinary support inspired the private
leadership organizations we recognize this evening. Members of
the 100 Club and the Trustees Circle -- we honor you for making
an investment in America's future. And for speaking up for the
priorities and qualities that make this a nation to be proud of.
We thank you for the symbolism of your support -- reminding
us that the arts hold a place in our hearts. We thank you for
the practicality of your support -- endowing the Center's future.
We thank those who made special efforts in bringing about this
remarkable new initiative: Corporate Fund Chair William Schreyer,
and Dina Merrill Hartley of the Trustee Development Committee.
And we salute the performers whose brilliance has captivated
us this evening. Maestro Rostopovich -- you honor us with your
presence. We're moved not only by your artistry but also by your
compassion as an inexhaustible defender of human rights. And
John Wolfensohn has give many gifts to the cultural richness of
this country -- Sara may be the most remarkable. Thank you for
showing us the importance of passing on the legacy of the arts.
On behalf of the Americans who benefit from your generosity
-- thank you all. May God bless you -- and the Kennedy Center.
THE WHITE house
WASHINGTON
April 17,1991
Bith :
This is a good start, but I have several
suggestions:
1
The tone of the remarks am is a little abstract
on distant - almost too lofty. Remember that the
people in the audience have planked down negabocks
for the XenCen - and SOME have very strong feelings
about art's ability to express the thoughts, am bitions,
qualms, concerns, wondermsent, joy anxisty face - you
get the idea - we all experience when we of
to the great unfielding questions that all of is face -
questions of life, death, love, hate, faith, infidelity, art
know. The point to make is that great wrestly with ain't
you just pretty - it teaches It helps is
The great imponderables.
Nota that I circled your recurrent use of the
word "rich" its variants - this is a standard artsy
word, but it's a little bloodless. Anything peppier?
high ch-qu
m. ES. alound family
the "ms" benne you
Eall there get. should albutter
Es. now to do for notes
benerding, carry,
suggis Yes then no whip shage X bittan
w/ whying has
getty homin order
mall
11½
alow
This
leverbes. on h to /
littegel
have
whip
45m
/
daned
her
growth Rep proble in while
AMS
wee called
Then jun
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
1
WE need to rewrite the beginning of the
first full graph if p.z. Wolfanson bill
used the congressional bailout to attract private
donors. N'est LE pas?
3
The second graph on P. 2 also needs a little
work. I'm just worried that donors might
9st a little steamed at suggestions that their
support is "symbolic Again, try not to treat
this as Noblesse oblige Treat it as something
More vital, A storing important.
4
Sorry to be such an illegible windbag.
(I know! mixed metaphor.)
-
Tomy
The Kennedy Center
THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20566-0001
202 416-8000
FAX 202 416-8205
TO:
Carol Blymire
FROM:
Laura Longley
DATE:
April 15, 1991
RE:
April 22 White House Reception for the
Kennedy Center - President's Remarks
Carol,
Thanks for your patience and for inviting our input.
I'm sending via messenger today the following materials:
"The Dream" This is a section of a report on the
Kennedy Center prepared by James D. Wolfensohn in response
to a request from Governor Sununu in February 1990. As the
document unfolds, specific requests were made of the
Administration, which the Administration subsequently
supported. I am sure you know that the Administration's
support resulted in unprecedented support on Capitol Hill
for relief of the Center's long-accrued debt. Details are
given in the Annual Report (noted below).
One of the important aspects of the Sununu document
--and the resulting initiatives under James Wolfensohn's
chairmanships--has been to demonstrate the private support
for the Center through increased giving.
The April 22 reception recognizes this new
commitment: 19 corporations, 17 individuals, and one
foundation, have made commitments to two new leadership
efforts for a combined total of approximately $3 million in
new funds to be received over a three year period. These new
fund-raising efforts have been led by Kennedy Center
Chairman James D. Wolfensohn, the Trustee Development
Committeee, headed by Dina Merrill Hartley, and William A.
Schreyer, chairman and CEO, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
"Video Talking Points" document--This
memo was to brief Chairman James Wolfensohn on key points
about the Center's role as the national center for the
performing arts and its new national vision. See
"Finance and Fund-Raising" on where new initiatives with
the private sector fit into an emerging private/public
partnership for the Center's programming and building
operations.
New Kennedy Center Corporate Fund brochure--in
support of the corporate campaign to boost private corporate
giving to the national center for the performing arts.
Wolfensohn's letter and Corporate Fund Chairman William
Schreyer's lay out some useful points.
Draft of Mobil Op-Ed piece (due to run shortly): This
piece again gives context on the private support issue, and
also should give you some idea of what's important
artistically in the Center's programs in the coming year.
What they don't go into great detail on--given that Exxon is
the sponsor--is the TEXAS FESTIVAL AT THE KENNEDY CENTER.
Since the President and Mrs. Bush are Honorary Chairpersons
of that Festival, he/she might like to note it, perhaps in a
reference to upcoming programming that fulfills the Center's
national mission. Press releases on the Texas Festival are
also included.
Annual Report: This copy went to the printer Friday.
I'm including it only because it gives you the complete
rundown on the Wolfensohn agenda, the new federal funding,
and the past year's activities in several key areas,
particularly programming.
Mstislav Rostropovich, cellist, bio
Sara Wolfensohn, pianist, bio
Reminder: Our Congressional Trustees are expected to be
there:
Senator Mark Hatfield
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Senator George J. Mitchell
Rerpesentative Joseph M. McDade
Representative Charles Wilson
Representative Sidney R. Yates
CC: Marc Breslaw Barbara Hall, Gerry Otrema
Fund-raising
Building for the future
Twelve months ago, the Kennedy Center faced a financial crisis: the Center
had a deficit of $17 million, the building itself was in need of serious repair,
and funding-derived primarily from corporate and private donors - was not
sufficient to cover operating losses.
Today, thanks to major new efforts in fund-raising both from government and
private sources, the Center's financial picture is greatly improved.
The Center sought a congressional appropriation of $45 million over two
years, to be used to reduce the Center's deficit and to undertake essential
building repairs. The first phase of this effort began in 1990 with appropriations
totaling $29.4 million.
While ongoing government funding is key to the Kennedy Center's continued
financial viability, private support is equally essential. Like most arts institu-
tions, the Kennedy Center cannot rely on ticket sales alone to cover its artistic
programs and operating expenses. Looking ahead, the Kennedy Center seeks
to develop a public/private partnership wherein combined federal government
funding and private donations would contribute to operating costs as well as
long-range artistic program planning.
In the private sector, the Kennedy Center has initiated significant new fund-
raising programs in the past year. Two new leadership donor programs were
launched - the "100 Club" and the "Trustees' Circle" - which consist of cor-
porate and individual donors who pledge $100,000 or more to the Kennedy
Center payable over three years. Already, more than $3 million in new funds
have been raised through these efforts which have been led by Kennedy Center
Chairman James D. Wolfensohn, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer William A. Schreyer, and the Trustees' Development
Committee headed by Dina Merrill Hartley.
All told, private annual gifts raised on behalf of the Kennedy Center and the
National Symphony Orchestra totaled $13.8 million in fiscal year 1990 - or
26.8 percent of the Center's overall revenues. A breakdown of annual contri-
butions shows individual giving at 57 percent, corporate gifts at 33 percent,
and foundations at 10 percent.
The Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra endowment reached $37
million in 1990, not including an additional $4 million in expected bequests
and planned gifts from members of the Roger L. Stevens Society.
The 1990 Corporate Fund, chaired by John L. Clendenin of BellSouth Cor-
poration, raised more than $2.86 million for the Center. The Kennedy Center
Honors, whose nationwide broadcast is sponsored by General Motors, earned
more than $1.6 million for the Center. The 1990 artists, honored for their
artistic contribution to the cultural life of this nation, were Dizzy Gillespie,
Katharine Hepburn, Risë Stevens, Jule Styne, and Billy Wilder.
Photos by Jim Caldwell, Lloyd Englert. Joan Marcus. and Martha Swope.
FACT-CHECK.COPY
STARPED FOR 3pm
John Fitzgerald
KENNEDY Draft Two
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: KENNEDY CENTER MUSICALE RECEPTION
Monday, April 22, 1991 State Floor
It's a pleasure for us to be here tonight, sharing in a
dream of President Kennedy's. For he yearned to see an America
that valued the arts as much as business or science or politics.
p.904
He once said: "Roosevelt and Lincoln understood that the life of
12/18/62
the arts. is very close to the center of a nation's purpose --
and is a test of the quality of a nation's civilization."
Tonight we pay tribute to his vision. And to yours.
You're here because you care deeply about this country's need to
nourish its spirit. You're here because you believe in the
Kennedy Center's vital, exciting, enjoyable work. You've given
of yourselves to endow its future and the nation's. This is
important work. It is great work.
It's essential work because art strikes a chord within our
hearts. It isn't just a passive, pretty experience. It rouses
something vital inside us. In a time when the imponderables of
life are reduced to black and white spreadsheets art can touch
us Can help us express the joys, the fears, the wonderment of
this world.
The Kennedy Center brings that extraordinary experience to
millions. But it does something else remarkable, too. It has
laura
charged into a leadership position in our society by broadening
Longley
and deepening its education program. For its directors understand
that nothing is more important than teaching our youth.
But as we equip kids with the skills to compete in the 21st
2
century x we must also help them develop as complete human
beings. One way to do this is through the arts. Without
knowledge of the beauty and depth of the human spirit -- our
lives and successes can become dull and joyless.
As our national center for the arts, Kennedy Center reaches
across America - and into the future. Last year its education andpublic servic
many of them
programs reached over 6 million people, mostly American children.
Think of it. Think of how your gifts today are insuring the
future of the arts for the audiences of tomorrow.
Your gifts are part of a unique private/public partner-
+
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ship, begun last year by the Congressional Trustees who are here
Longly
tonight. They led a quest that resulted in unprecedented
Congressional funding that rescued the Center. They helped
inspire you, the donors we salute this evening.
Tonight, we also salute two dazzling performers. Maestro
Rostropovich
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bio by laural.
Rostopovich -- you honor us with your presence. We're moved not
only by your artistry but also by your compassion as an
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inexhaustible defender of human rights. And John Wolfensohn has
given many gifts to the artistic heart of this nation -- Sara may
Jim
Laura
be the most remarkable. John and Sara, thank you for showing us
the importance of passing on the legacy of our cultural heritage.
You remind us of William Blake's words: "Nations are
Bartletts
destroyed, or flourish, in proportion as their poetry, painting,
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and music are destroyed or flourish."
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Through the Kennedy Center, we resolve that our arts -- and
our nation -- will, indeed, flourish forever. God bless you all.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Acknowledgements
Chairman Wolfensohn
William Schreyer, Ch. CED of
KC
merrill lyndi
Dina Merrill Hartley, and the
head of the Trustee
Development committee
Sen. Hatfield
Congressional
Sen. Kennedy
Trustees
Sen. Mitchell
Rep. McDade
Rep- wilson
Rep. Yates
Cathy Fenton
200 people
5:45 5:45pm-speaks speaks
"Congressional Trustees" -don't list
Fax copy to Laura Longley
To Carol
Date
% 4-12
Time 9:25
WHILE YOU WERE OUT
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Laura Longley
of
Phone
416-8432
Area Code
Number
Extension
TELEPHONED
PLEASE CALL
CALLED TO SEE YOU
WILL CALL AGAIN
WANTS TO SEE YOU
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When she sends TPs, faxto
Cathy Fenton
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