Joan Baez to Receive Kennedy Center Honor - Pitchfork

Joan Baez to Receive Kennedy Center Honor

Garth Brooks, Dick Van Dyke, and Debbie Allen are also among this year’s honorees

January 13, 2021

Joan Baez performing onstage — Joan Baez (Photo by Jordi Vidal/Redferns).

The 43rd annual Kennedy Center Honors recipients have been announced. Joan Baez, Garth Brooks, Dick Van Dyke, artist, choreographer, and actress Debbie Allen, and violinist Midori are the honorees for 2020. Typically held in December, last year’s ceremony was postponed until May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Kennedy Center Honors serves as a moment to celebrate the remarkable artists who have spent their lives elevating the cultural history of our nation and world,” Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein said in a press release. “Folk icon Joan Baez breathed new life into the genre and powered rock music’s turn toward social and political consciousness,” he added of the singer, songwriter, and Rock Hall alum.

The Kennedy Center will host small, in-person events across its campus, each with physically-distant audiences. The events will include performances and speaking tributes for the Honorees. A string of virtual events will also commence May 17, while a medallion ceremony for the Honorees and a limited audience will be hosted by the Kennedy Center during the week of May 17–22.

Read about Joan Baez in “A Rock Hall Voter Breaks Down the Most Epic Nomination Class in Decades” on the Pitch.