Curtains for the Kennedy Center as a Clown Takes the Stage

The Jester is the King

The John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

I bike past this beauty on the DC paved trails many, many times each year. I live close enough to hop on the train and take in a concert, lecture, or opera as often as my calendar and wallet will allow (and I will admit to doing my best to allow my wallet to pay for those on the regular).

I recognize the singular privilege that this is, to bathe in the arts in one of the finest facilities for doing so in all of our country.

I’ve seen some amazing theatre, including the recent tour of the Life of Pi — talk about a tale of resilience.

And I’ve gone more than once to see Ben Folds, both in concert with the National Symphony Orchestra and as part of his “declassified” series, where he presents emerging artists alongside the NSO in reimagined ways. Folds is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra, and in some ways he has breathed new life into the institution, the same way he has to many orchestras across the country, insisting as he does (rightly so, I believe) that our orchestras are the hallmark of thriving communities. He points out that nowhere else can you see a collection of folks that are so eclectic, all working together for such a…