Composer Tania León Named a Kennedy Center Honoree
Curtis’s 2021–22 Composer in Residence to be honored at the 45th annual ceremony for her contribution to American culture
Internationally acclaimed composer, conductor, and educator Tania León—widely renowned as an ambassador of new music and an ardent advocate for living composers in the classical music world—was announced as one of the recipients of the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors. Ms. León was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her orchestral work Stride and served as Curtis’s 2021–22 Composer in Residence.
“It’s a little bit overwhelming. It’s the kind of surprise that you go ‘What?’” she said in an article for The Washington Post. “Of course, when it sinks in, you start getting a film going in your head of all the things you’ve done, remembering the people who are no longer around, those who encouraged you from the very beginning, starting with grandparents.”
Tania León will join George Clooney, U2, Gladys Knight, and Amy Grant on December 4, 2022, at the national arts center to receive this prestigious honor.
Read the article at The Washington Post HERE.
Read about the 45th Kennedy Center Honors at NPR HERE.
We recently interviewed the Cuban-born musician in the spring issue of Overtones, where she discussed her teaching philosophy, winning the Pulitzer Prize in music, and industry-wide efforts to make classical music more inclusive.
Read the Overtones Q&A article HERE.