Apollo Theater is first institution recognized by Kennedy Center Honors

NEW YORK – This year's Kennedy Center honorees were unveiled Thursday morning, and they include Harlem's historic Apollo Theater. It's the first institution to ever be honored by the Kennedy Center .

From James Brown to Bruno Mars, for 90 years the Apollo Theater has provided a platform for famous and rising stars alike. The anniversary celebration ushered in a new era with Michelle Ebanks at the helm in her first year as CEO .

Apollo's Amateur Night is the longest-running talent show in America, and Ebanks emphasized in a conversation with CBS New York's Jessi Mitchell in June , the nonprofit's new spaces at the Victoria Theater a few doors down will allow even more artists from the community to thrive.

"It's an expansion of even the original idea of the stage here in Harlem that reflects that creativity in this neighborhood," Ebanks said.

These efforts earned the Apollo Theater the distinguished title as the Kennedy Center's first non-artist honoree. In recent years, the theater has worked with the Kennedy Center to commission and present several performances and conversations, as they continue to move the culture forward.

2024 Kennedy Center Honorees announced

This year's other recipients are award-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, legendary rock band the Grateful Dead, blues-rock singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt and jazz musician and composer Arturo Sandoval.

The Kennedy Center Honors will air on CBS and Paramount+ on Dec. 23.

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