VOICE ONE:
The John F. Kennedy Center for thePerforming Arts will celebrate the work of five famous performingartists on Sunday, December eighth. They will be honored for manyyears of excellence. I’m Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. We tell about the winners of this year’sKennedy Center Honors on the VOA Special English program, THIS ISAMERICA.
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VOICE ONE:
The lights of the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D-C,will shine next Sunday on five famous performing artists. TheKennedy Center will honor orchestra conductor and pianist JamesLevine (lah-VINE), actress Elizabeth Taylor and actor James EarlJones. Other honorees are singer and songwriter Paul Simon andactress, dancer and singer Chita Rivera.
VOICE TWO:
Musical conductor and pianistJames Levine (lah-VINE) is the youngest Kennedy Center Honors winnerthis year. The artistic director of the Metropolitan Opera in NewYork City is fifty-nine years old. For thirty of those years MisterLevine has helped make the Metropolitan Opera one of the best in theworld. He also will direct the Boston Symphony Orchestra beginningin two-thousand-four.
James Levine was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. At age ten, he playedpiano with the Cincinnati Symphony. He led his first MetropolitanOpera performance at age twenty-seven. In just four more years hebecame the opera’s musical director. Listen as James Levine leadsthe Metropolitan Orchestra and Chorus in music from “Aida” byGiuseppe Verdi.
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VOICE ONE:
The Kennedy Center also ishonoring actress and humanitarian Elizabeth Taylor. She has beenacting for sixty of her seventy years. She has appeared in almostsixty movies.
Mizz Taylor has won two Academy Awards for best leading actressfrom the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. She also hasreceived many other honors from the film industry.
Elizabeth Taylor was born in London, England. But her Americanparents took her to live in California before World WarTwo.Elizabeth first gained widespread fame in the movie “NationalVelvet” when she was only twelve years old. Later she gaveoutstanding performances in great films like “Giant,” “Cat on a HotTin Roof” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” Her first appearancein the theater earned her honors and critical praise. Mizz Taylorappeared in “The Little Foxes” in nineteen-eighty-one.
Two years later a close friend of Mizz Taylor, actor Rock Hudson,died of the disease AIDS. This death led her to support andestablish several organizations for AIDS research and treatment.Elizabeth Taylor has raised more than one-hundred-million dollarsfor the struggle against AIDS.
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VOICE TWO:
The Kennedy Center is alsohonoring James Earl Jones. Mister Jones is known for his commandingacting presence and deep voice. Over the years he has played intheater, films and on radio and television. In the nineteen-sixties,he was one of the first African American actors to have a continuingpart in daytime television dramas. Critics have praised his work inplays by William Shakespeare and as the voice of Darth Vader in thefirst “Star Wars” movies.
James Earl Jones was born in the state of Mississippi innineteen-thirty-one. He grew up in Michigan, cared for by hisgrandparents. As a child he suffered from a severe speech problem.This prevented him from talking much. He began to develop his voicewith acting lessons at the University of Michigan. He had gone thereto study medicine. Instead, he decided to become an actor.
Here is James Earl Jones reading from “Lincoln Portrait” by AaronCopland.
“Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history.” That is what hesaid. That is what Abraham Lincoln said. “Fellow citizens, we cannotescape history. We of this Congress and this administration will beremembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance orinsignificance can spare one or another of us. The fiery trialthrough which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor, tothe latest generation. We — even we here — hold the power and bearthe responsibility.”
VOICE ONE:
The Kennedy Center also ishonoring singer and songwriter Paul Simon. His beautiful melodieshave deeply influenced American music. Paul Simon has won manyGrammy awards for the finest single records and collections ofsongs.
Paul Simon was born in Newark, New Jersey in nineteen-forty-one.He went to high school in New York City. There he met Art Garfunkel,another student deeply interested in music. Paul Simon art ArtGarfunkel soon began creating music together. At age sixteen, theyrecorded a song called “Hey Schoolgirl.” It sold many copies. Thesong led to an appearance on the popular television program”American Bandstand.”
The two musical friends combined their voices again innineteen-sixty-four on the song “Wednesday Morning, Three A-M.”Simon and Garfunkel were a successful singing team for severalyears. Their songs in the nineteen-sixty-seven film “The Graduate”became especially famous.
In the early nineteen-seventies, Paul Simon started workingalone. Since then he has produced many new songs. Some have includedmusical traditions and musicians from South Africa and Brazil. Innineteen-ninety he was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hereare Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel singing Paul Simon’s song, “MissusRobinson.”
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VOICE TWO:
The Kennedy Center is honoringBroadway and nightclub star Chita Rivera for many years ofoutstanding acting, singing and dancing. Chita Rivera was born inWashington, D-C, in nineteen-thirty-three. Her father was a musicianwho was born in Puerto Rico. He died when Chita was a young girl.Her mother supported her five children by working in a governmentoffice.
In nineteen-forty-nine, Chita won money to attend GeorgeBalanchine’s School of American Ballet. Chita Rivera first earnedfame on Broadway singing and dancing in the musical “West SideStory” in nineteen-fifty-seven. She also has starred in Broadwaymusicals like “Can-Can,” “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Kiss of the SpiderWoman.” She has won praise and major awards for her work in theater.Here Chita Rivera sings “America” from “West Side Story.”
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VOICE ONE:
James Levine, Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones, Paul Simon, andChita Rivera are special performers. The Kennedy Center will honorthem for sharing their gifts with people around the world.
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VOICE TWO:
This VOA Special English program was written by Jerilyn Watson.It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Mary Tillotson. Join us again next week for anotherreport about life in the United States on our VOA Special Englishprogram, THIS IS AMERICA.