Kennedy Center Honors Wayne Shorter, ‘Hamilton’ Creators

By Sameer Rao Jul 26, 2018

The Kennedy Center announced yesterday (July 25) that jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter and the creators behind Broadway smash "Hamilton" are among its 2018 honorees.

"This year’s slate of honorees represents the pinnacle of our nation’s originality, and the rich mosaic of diverse perspectives and art forms that has come to define who we are as a people," Kennedy Center president Deborah F. Rutter said in yesterday’s announcement

Shorter features alongside a list of honorees that includes singers and actresses Cher and Reba McEntire, and fellow composer Philip Glass. He posted the following tweet in recognition of the award: 

 

"Hamilton" writer and lead actor Lin-Manuel Miranda will share a special honor with the musical’s director Thomas Kail, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler and musical director Alex Lacamoire. The announcement says this award recognizes the quartet "as trailblazing creators of a transformative work that defies category." Miranda celebrated the prize in his own tweet:

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See how The Kennedy Center pays tribute to these artists when CBS airs the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors gala on December 26.

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