KC Festival: The Presidency of John F. Kennedy: A 50th Anniversary Celebration
The Kennedy Center marks the 50th anniversary of a remarkable American presidency
Presidents, America, Dance, Music, Theater, Poetry

2700 F St.: Harlem Quartet: Performance/Demonstration
What do you think about when you picture a string quartet? Well, Harlem Quartet wants to shake that image up.
Music, Musical Instruments, America, Young Artists

2700 F St.: Freeze Frame... Stop The Madness: Debbie Allen Dance Academy
A performance based on true stories and told in a fusion of drama, music, dance, video, and art.
America, Choreographers, Controversial, Dance, Dance Legends, Young Artists, JFKC

Cuesheet: Sancho: An Act of Remembrance: A Performance and Discussion
Sancho: An Act of Remembrance tells the remarkably true tale of Charles Ignatius Sancho. Based on his letters and publications, Sancho comes to life on stage in this one-man show written by and starring Paterson Joseph.
America, Controversial, History

Cuesheet: WNO Open Rehearsal: Appomattox
Can prejudice still exisit after 100 years? Find out as two key moments in history collide on the operatic stage.
Opera, Backstage, History, America

Cuesheet: Bud, Not Buddy
It’s 1936 in Flint, Michigan, and ten-year-old Bud Caldwell sets off on an epic journey of discovery, set to the soulful sounds of jazz.
Theater, Jazz, History, America

Cuesheet: NSO Discussion, Demonstration & Open Rehearsal: george WASHINGTON
Music meets history as state-of-the-art technology, beautiful imagery, surround-sound, spoken words, and orchestral music blend together in this new multimedia composition.
Music, America, Composers, Orchestra, Presidents

Cuesheet: Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham, Alabama church bombing that took the lives of four young girls, this reading remembers this seminal event in American history and how it helped to galvanize the American Civil Rights Movement.
America, Controversial, History, Playwrights & Plays, Theater

KC Connection: JFKC: A Centential Celebration of John F. Kennedy
President Kennedy believed that to be an active artist was to be a true American citizen—someone who uses their creativity to improve lives and change society for the better.
Presidents, America, History

The Story Behind The Song: This Land is Your Land
Folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote this song to celebrate America’s bounty and to protest that not all Americans were getting their fair share
America, Folklore, Geography, History, Music

The Story Behind The Song: The Star-Spangled Banner
In this story, find out how a captured poet penned the song that became the country’s national anthem
History, Europe, Geography, Military, Music, America

The Story Behind The Song: We Shall Overcome
In this story, find out how a song helped steel the courage of African Americans as they struggled for civil rights
America, History, Music, Presidents

The Story Behind The Song: Yankee Doodle
“Yankee Doodle” may be a popular kids’ tune today, but it got its start as a song of war.
America, History, Europe, Music, Military

The Story Behind The Song: Brother Can You Spare a Dime?
When Americans were humbled by the Great Depression, this song gave voice to their fears and feelings of loss
History, Music, America

The Story Behind The Song: The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Discover how Julia Howe’s hymn helped inspire the North in its fight to reunite the country and free African-American slaves
History, Music, America, Military

The Story Behind The Song: Fanfare for the Common Man
After the U.S. entered World War II, this brass and percussion piece sounded the call to service and sacrifice.
America, History, Orchestra, Music

The Story Behind The Song: The Marines' Hymn
This article gives you the stories behind the words—“From the Halls of Montezuma, To the shores of Tripoli”
History, Military, Music, America, Geography

The Story Behind The Song: God Bless America
In 1938, composer Irving Berlin dusted off an old piece of music to create a new national hit
America, History, Music

The Story Behind The Picture: White Angel Breadline
In White Angel Breadline, her first documentary photograph, Dorothea Lange enabled Americans to see the tragic effects of the Great Depression. The image evoked national sympathy, rather than scorn, for the hungry and homeless.
America, Controversial, History, Innovators & Pioneers, Visual Arts

Article: Q&A with Kathryn Bostic
Kathryn Bostic, music arranger for Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963, shares her thoughts on sharing stories through music and music’s central role in the Civil Rights Movement.
America, Backstage, Composers, History, Musicals, Controversial

Series: The Story Behind The Song
Through the history of popular songs, discover how history is full of surprising stories of people doing amazing things
History, Music, America, Composers, Military

Series: The Grapes of Wrath: Voice and Vision
This collection of suggested lessons and activities aim at helping students build a framework, from various perspectives of the 1930s, in which to embed a close study of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath
America, History, Geography, Science, Nature, Presidents, Literature, Music, Movies & Movie Stars, Opera

Master + Work: Martha Graham and Appalachian Spring
Learn how this dance visionary pioneered her own movement language while exploring the depths of human emotion
America, Dance, Dance Legends

Master + Work: Dorothea Lange and Migrant Mother
See how Lange used her camera to tell the story of Depression-era Americans
America, Controversial, Geography, History, Innovators & Pioneers, Visual Arts

Master + Work: Arthur Miller and Death of a Salesman
Arthur Miller’s voice of social conscience and theatrical imagination changed the face of American theater. Meet him through his masterwork, Death of a Salesman.
America, History, Broadway, Playwrights & Plays, Theater, Controversial