current congressional session ends. >> immigration and taxes will dominate the final days of this lame duck session of this 113th congress. following us is billy house, his work is available job line. thanks for being with us. >> glad to be here, thank you. >> this om any bus measure, which is a washington term, exactly what does congress need do and when? >> december 11 is a deadline for what has been a testimonimporar continuing spending bill since october. the technical start since the new year. so we've been relaying on the temporary spending bill again. that runs out on december 11th. so lawmakers are faced with where to go from there. >> there is talk of a short

continuing resolution referred to as krom any bus strategy which keeps the government operating until mid february. the reason, obviously because republicans will have control of the house and senate next year? >> there is talk of that. so it is varying degreeses. the basic premise of that is that many of the republicans and some of the republicans in congress, realizing they will control both chambers starting on january 3rd. are wondering why democratic majority leaders soon to be minority leader harry reid and other democrats would have such a say on a bill spending them until last so that notion is that let's do another temporary one and then the new republican dominated senate and house could come up with a spending bill after that. but republican leaders kind of want to wipe the slate clean and are preferring a measure that could be done now that could get

congress through the whole entire next fiscal year without having to readdress it in the spring. but whether they could win over harder lined issues i'm uncertain. there a mixture of what they call a cr om any bus or krom any bus which would, in fact, continue spending through next october for most of the government agencies but not homeland security. and in that way, some members will address in early spring some of the executive backs participated by president obama through defunding or other mechanisms. >> and that issue will likely come up tomorrow before the homeland secure the committee when jeh johnson testifies. what can we expect? >> i think you will see from that republican dominated committee because it is a house committee, focused on what

exactly president obama -- what he might do to what sub mill might be a less secure order practicees. whether or not that's true or not, it would spill over also as to whether or not you give orders or plans by the president are just simply overreach. and how they might be combatted specifically through perhaps homeland security bill and spending bill and defunding mechanisms. >> how angry are congressional republicans over the president's action on immigration? and how much of that is politics? how much is public pottering? >> i think there's legitimate anger pause of the latest in the series of executive actions. and even led them to sue the president. so it's another step in that direction that's already irritated them. specifically, it's angering a good number of more conservative republicans over the simple fact that lessening the deportation

rules and conscripts in congress right now without congressional approval. it's kind of rubbing their faces in the fact that although they've dominated the november 4th elections, this president is kind of sidestepping, or trying to anyway. >> two other issues, first rand paul, a potential 2016 presidential candidate promising to handle isil. this sort of bill, this large idea, in final days of the lame buck session, far fetched one, but raw makers still have to

sign off at some point on a request from the pentagon. this will add to the dialogue on that and some of the back and forth. and whether or not rand paul legislation goes anywhere this lame duck again is unlikely that this will just add further fire to the debate over where exactly the pentagon training and equipment of syrian rebels and how much money should be involved and all that should be. >> finally where is the defense authorization act at this moment. will congress move ton before the end of the year? >> the house passed the version of it earlier this year. and senate armed services committee is yet to bring its bill to the floor. but it will be addressed, i believe. before the end of the year. and i think there's no dispute about that. the question is, how quickly can they get it to the floor in the next two weeks. >> we look for you reporting

on-line at nooational journal on-line. appreciate you being with us. >> i appreciate it. >> next, deborah rutter, outlines the centers future plan and talks about the importance of the education from the national press club this is an hour. >> good afternoon and welcome. my name i my name is myron delkheim, the washington school of media and public affairs and former international bureau chief with the associated press and the 107th president of the national press club, the national press club is the world's leading -- committed to our profession's future through our programming, with events such as this, while

fostering a free press worldwide. for more information about the national press club, please visit our website at press.org. on behalf of our members worldwide, i would like to welcome our speaker and those of you attending today's event. our head table includes guests of our speaker as well as working journalists who are club members, if you hear applause in our audience, note that members of the eppublic are attending. so it is not necessarily evidence of a lack of journalistic activity if you hear what applies. i would also like to welcome our cspan and public radio audiences, after our guest speech concludes, we'll have a question and answer period and we'll ask as many questions as time permits. now it's time to introduce our head table guests. i would like each of you to stand as your name is announced. let me begin on the right. jean thai. elizabeth smith brownstein, a

member of the press club's history and heritage committee and a writer of our online newsletters this week in the national press club history. doris margolis, president of editorial associates and a member of the speaker's committee. yasmine el sabowi. multimedia journalist and washington correspondent for the kuwait news agency. nick apostali ty deputy ceo of the visitor's center and pro organizer of this lunchon. adrian arst, leading arts philanthropist who is a major funder of the adrian arst musical theater fund at the center and a guest of our speaker. jerry zerimski, buffalo news washington chief chairman of the speak are's committee and former president of the national press club. skipping over our speaker for a moment, amy henderson,

historical emeritus at the national portrait gallery and co-organizer of this luncheon. helen lee, henderson. important philanthropist who serves on the board of the kennedy center national orchestra, she too is a guest of our speaker. maria resio. ken melgren, chairman of the board of governors of the national press club, former chair of the broadcast committee and a retired staffer from the associated press broadcast

division and michael phelps, former publisher of the washington examiner and news media executives. please, a round of applause. a year before his death, president john f. kennedy spoke on behalf of the national cultural center that would ultimately bear his name. quote, after the dust of centuries has passed, he said, we too will be remembered, not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit, unquote. this september deborah rutter became president of the john f. kennedy center for the performing arts. the first woman to serve in that office and the first to come from the world of orchestras. she grew up in a family that loved music, her father was a founder of the los angeles master correll. rutter began playing the violin

as a child and she said that playing the violin is how i found out who i was. rutter comes to washington from chicago, where she was president of the chicago symphony orchestra association, she said she was drawn to the kennedy center for the opportunity to use arts to affect the rest of the world. she wants to develop greater collaborations with other arts associations, including museums, theaters and untraditional groups. she said the kennedy center should have a seat at the table in dealing with challenging social and cultural issues. rutter is a prolific fund-raiser known for recruiting top talent. and boosting outreach to new audiences. here she will serve as artistic and administrative leader for dance, chamber music and jazz. she will also oversee the national symphony orchestra and

the washington national opera. she will be inheriting an ambitious $100 million rep vags that renovation that is expected to be complete on john f. kennedy's 100 birthday.novat be complete on john f. kennedy's 100 birthday. please join me in welcoming the new president of the kennedy center, deborah rutter. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you. i think he said it all. so we're done now, we can all have a nice afternoon. thank you, myron for the invitation to be here, thank you, nick, thank you, amy, for the opportunity to be here and for your very generous words. you've done great research also. i understand. it is a pleasure and honor for me to be here, when you don't live in washington, d.c., this place, this place right here, not just washington, d.c., but

this place is a very awe-inspiring place. it is really a great honor to be here. i am really grateful to my friends who are here from the kennedy center and who care about the arts and our society. i want to say thank you to adrian and to helen for being my stalwart, they're side by side. great friends and a support. i've been thinking a lot about storytelling recently. i'm not exactly sure why. but as i think about it, there's some sign posts perhaps. this has been a year of major transition for me and my family. and as one says farewell to one home, a community and the friends there, it leaves you to reflect to some degree to commemorate your time there. last spring, i had many, many opportunities to share memories, tell stories and laugh about

shared history. also in moving, you know the trauma of moving. you uncover all kinds of things. and we have come across countless boxes of memorabilia, some recent, some really ancient, all of which jogs one's memories of stories that are told and some untold. then of course, my daughter who has the same propensity to keep things that her mother has, has child hood storybooks and they're plentiful, recalling for me the moments of joy and intimacy and wonder in the telling and retelling of those wonderful stories. so perhaps this is why i have a preoccupation with storytelling right now. arriving in washington has been an adventure for all of us, meeting new friends colleagues, such as here today, connecting with old friends, which has been really wonderful for me. learning the system of how the city works my daughter finding

her new ways around her school and for me, a new place to work, and let me tell you, that is a real study, figuring out out to get around there. again, stories are plenty as i introduce myself and hear about the history and the people of our new home. you might say, well, that's what washington, d.c. is all about. but i would say that this is what our world is all about. not just washington, but our world. it's about storytelling. storytelling is the way we share who we are with others. it is a way to reveal one's self, to communicate feelings and ideas. with our stories we share history, get to know one another. storytelling connects us and represents the draw strings of our lives. all of us are storytellers in one form or another. some of us are better or funnier

than others, some more colorful and creative. others more liberal and concise, but we are allteling one story or another. just to make sure i was on the right track i went to the ultimate source and typed in definition of storytelling on my internet browser. the result, storytelling is the conveying of words and images often by improvisation or embellishment. stories have been shared in every culture as a mean of education, entertainment, cultural preservation and instilling moral values. i didn't have to look far to find out exactly what i was looking for in terms of that definition. so with this definition, it argues that journalists are true professional storytellers. hopefully without too much embellishment or improvisation. journalists provide the heroic role of documents our collective

lives, our shared history, you are the ones we engage with is collective lives, our shared history, you are the ones we engage witns ou collective lives, our shared history, you are the ones we engage witgs ou collective lives, our shared history, you are the ones we engage wit our collective lives, our shared history, you are the ones we engage with every day, or hopefully every day, every day in my case. your work provides the recorded history we reflect back on to understand who we are as a culture, what actions were taken, what decisions were made, what we have done as a result of those decisions, how we reached, how the larger world has responded. so i put forth to you that art is just another form of storytelling. it provides the narrative to our lives. a way of advancing as well as preserving our culture. a story as conveyed through artistic express comes in varying forms. sometimes it's literal, sometimes it is obscure or initially beyond understanding. it can be fun and entertaining, engrossing and provokive. provocativ

no matter the media or the actual story, it is always making one think and feel. theater, opera, dance, music, film and the visual arts, all of these are telling us stories. sure, often there is just pure entertainment to be enjoyed as well. who doesn't need that? maybe now more than ever. but an evening of so-called pure entertainment is also likely a time when other eemotiomotions d ideas are bubbling inside. i recently saw "avita" with my daughter and her friend. but the truth, yes, great music,

wonderful actors, telling a story, what is that story about? the struggle of lower class to break out of its cycle of poverty. overwhelming narcissism, greed, consuming power that bringing down the not just a woman and a family, but a whole country. yes avita is a story about history using the theater to convey, not just the details, but emotions, insights and values. the performing arts highlight all of the emotions of our world. shine a spot light on topics we sometimes dare not to debate, stories that force us to feel feelings we want to brush aside. yet experienced individually in our heart and our mind. with "evita," we look back on an era of a country, it's history. in the case of tony cushner's "angels in america," we are

faced with the reality of life experienced by another part of our society. that epic play changed the way we talk about gay life and aids. while it was perhaps shocking when it premiered in its format, dialogue and frank treatment of the issues, it was ultimately one of the first and most important expression on that topic, using the theater again as a way to explore social issues. so think about "swan lake," reflect on the rite of spring, consider balk's st. matthewclk's passion, which i love so much. all are stories to be told using the performing arts to communicate beauty, perspective, thoughtfulness, spirituality. they also challenge us as we sit in that darkened theater, to understand ourselves, consider our society and our environment.

my argument, art is certainly for art's sake, i really agree with that statement and i support all who utter it. but i also fervently believe in the concept of art for life's sake, that we cannot live or share this world without art. art is the way we tell the stories of our lives, to offer commentary on the world we live in, to provide a sanctuary for personal, spiritual reflection, an opportunity to state more boldly those ideas that may feel too difficult, too dangerous for whatever reason, too personal or socially challenging. or better yet, the eye and the exultation of life. the examples of bach or andrew lloyd weber may seem different from story telling. but i want to tell you now of quite a different example. when we announced in chicago that ricardo muti would become our tenth music director, he

surprised us not for the first nor the last time, i should say, by announcing at his introductory press conference that he wanted to take the opera orchestra to all parts of chicago.orchestra to all parts chicago. especially those without access to music, even to prisons. he and i spoke often of his interest in sharing the music making of the orchestra, but prison was a bit of a surprise to us. we took the challenge and developed a really special program. we chose to go to a juvenile detention center. to work with young women in partnership with story catchers theater. every week, every week, two members of our chorus go to the illinois state detention center in warrenville, working side by side with theater teaching artists developing stories and lyrics written by the girls, the inmates themselves.

their stories. stories that are hard to tell, stories hard to hear. after four months of preparation like this, the cso composer and residence, also goes to the center for residency and works on developing songs for the girls, they write the tunes and she helps orchestrate it. these songs are then performed by members of the cso, who ultimately perform with the girls their original musical theater peacpeaceipeacecpeacep.. the performances for the other girls in the center and all of their families. an incredibly powerful experience, telling the stories that are often untold, hidden, locked away. you can imagine the powerful emotions that fill the library

of that detention center. i have experienced it a couple of times as a guest. some of those families have never heard their daughter or sister or niece or grand daughter communicate so directly. they didn't know that she had the power to share that story which is untold and therefore unknown. that hour of performance changed the lives of those girls, those families, for me, forever. that's what i mean by art for life's sake. [ applause ] thank you. the follow-up activity that includes ricardo muti usually takes place before or after those four to six months. i must say i was rather skeptical about his participation before i went to warrenville with him. he requested a piano, and the two singers, the chorusters,

which was raut really /* really good. they didn't know him but they knew the singers really well.ea. they didn't know him but they knew the singers really well. twice each year, he does this, he goes and spends about 90 minutes with about two dozen girls from the center. and you probably think this is just as crazy as i did, but in fact, performing opera areas, with the women that they knew so well was offering a mirror for these girls lives and an inspiration. where else do you hear such stories? opera. somehow muti knew that and he knew exactly how to convey that to them, to have someone of that renowned care about two dozen girls in a detention center in a small town in illinois. imagine what that means and imagine how that is so affirming in their lives.

art for life's sake. at the kennedy center, we overflow in the sharing and telling of stories. you probably know all of the programs and so many of you i have met here today have told me about how you attend programs at the kennedy center. but i suspect there are a number of programs that you don't know about, because i didn't know about them much and i'm paying pretty close attention and until i got here, i didn't know about them. so in addition to the daily free millennium stage performances, the six productions of the washington national opera, the nearly 30 weeks of subscriptions and pop concerts of the national symphony orchestra, the extraordinary range of ballet offerings, cutting edge dance and theater programs, blockbuster musical theater offerings, we produce and present so much at the kennedy

center, but we also have perhaps the most extensive local and national educational offerings in the country. i'm particularly interested in this for some personal reasons that my ron already told yoron about. but i'm still going to say them if it's okay. so standing before you is the product of primarily a public school education. in the third grade, my elementary schoolteacher opened the classroom cabinet and said what instrument will you play? not, do you want to play, but what will you play? and i am here today because i had the opportunity to find myself through music. he got the story right, didn't he? that teacher and that public school gave me the first tools and the curiosity and the

passion to find myself, to write my story here in the arts. i believe fervently that every child, every individual in this country deserves the find themselves, whether it is in academics, athletics or the arts. arts education has been diminished to such a degree, that generations now have lost the opportunity for even a basic education in the arts in their school day, arts organizations across the country are desperately working to supplement program that do exist but there are just truly insufficient resources to ensure that all children have that experience in the classroom. the work we do through the kennedy center's education department supports teachers, students and families in their discovery of themselves through the arts and i'm enormously proud of these programs. as i said, i didn't know all of them before i came to the kennedy center and i'm still getting to know all of them

because they're so multitudeness. but i would like to share just some of the ones that i do know about with you now. did you me that the kennedy center spends more than $1 million annually in its work with schools in the district of columbia, through such programs such as the d.c. arts programs. did you know that more than 35,000 teachers participated in 730 professional learning programs provided by the kennedy center? we're teaching teachers not just how to teach the arts, but how to use arts in the classroom to teach other subjects, such as math and science and history. did you know that the center provides lesson plans, audio and

video podcasts, student interactive games and the how 20s for teachers to use the arts in their classrooms, and in this past years, more than 8 million interactions through the kennedy website. there's a need, there's a hunger for this. did you know that in 2014 over 35,000 students participated in activities in the kennedy center. did you know that the kennedy center worked directly with 657, not 658, darrell, 657 college and university theater departments across the united states as a part of our american college theater festival? through its education efforts, the kennedy center directly, directly touches 11 million

people every year, this excludes the 2 million who come to events and performances who visit the kennedy center every year, and who watch the kennedy center and all of the other broadcasts, 11 million through the education programs. the kennedy center education department has done a remarkable, creative program, with age-specific targeted programs for young people often without getting much recognition for that work. in the past 10 years, the kennedy center has commissioned or co-commissioned 36 new works for audiences, addressing issues that children are experiencing. we have countless stories of alumni participating in various types of programs, professional train programs. whether it's instrumental or theater and they go off and do great things, you find them on opera houses and in theaters. they win awards.

through performing and writing. what an achievement. the kennedy center's education programs are delivering on a promise, a promise to excite young audiences to support teachers, and perhaps most importantly to encourage young aspiring artists. additionally, we provide thousands of patrons -- we want access to free performances. that's the access that we believe in. in other words we want to support this story telling of the few tour aep the future of art for life's sake.telling of e few tour aep the future of art for life's sake. in our next decade, i expect to grow on the achievements of our last 40 years of programming and service. as you heard a little bit about already, we have a new expansion of the kennedy center which will open in less than three years. the new spaces that we will find in that expansion will be for creating and experiencing the

performing arts which will further our promise of keeping artists central to our cultural dialogue and break down the boundaries between artists and audience. we hope to cultivate a sense of discovery and stimulate investment in creation and innovation, risk taking and adventure. we break ground on this new campus south of the existing center on december 4, note that date, december 4 of this year, nearly 50 years to the day when the ground was broke on on the kennedy center. what an auspicious day.n the kennedy center. what an auspicious da the kennedy center. what an auspicious dathe kennedy center. what an auspicious day. a new generation, a new era, but remaining true to the remarkable individual for whom the memorial was created. president kennedy is quoted so often, and he had so many quotes to share that were meaningful. to further the appreciation of cultural among all the people. to increase respect for the creative individual, to wide on

participation by all the processes and fulfillments of art. this is one of the fascinating challenges of these days. what drew me to come to the kennedy center, was not just the vastness of the program offering but for the platform of our nation and society. i believe that storytelling of our lives will happen with passion and creativity of artists and the audiences who engage with them. we will seek to fulfill president kennedy's noble mission, one story at a time. thank you. [ applause ]

picking up on your last comment, how do you feel the kennedy center can improve its ability to live up to such a noble and grand vision outlined in many of the quotes by john f. kennedy? >> the work that we undertake at the kennedy center and as arts administrators and artists around the country, is one that takes passion, drive and belief. and the good news is that there are people like our patrons who are here who have joined us and adrian and helen and all of you who care, that we can get this work done, but it cannot be done easily, it cannot be done in a gratuitous way, we have to recognize and believe, like missionaries, that art is really

important in our lives. and candidly, that's why we need these opportunities to talk about it and you need people like ricardo muti to speak so eloquently and to give to generously. as i think about my time here in washington, i really want to support the programs that you have heard me speak about in terms of offering access but more so, opportunity to participate in the arts, so this expansion project is a really big piece of that. without even realizing the opportunity initially, we have in discussing this project, really come to understand the value of having reform spaces where artists and those of us who aspire to be artists or appreciate the art creators will have a better contact with one another. so this space, is new expansion

will be about connecting people to the art and to the artists, even more than they have, to break down the barrier that sort of exists tween where we sit in the audience and where they stand or sit and perform. and yet, we'll have the traditional spaces as well as the new and informal space, so we'll be able to celebrate all of it. but it's about providing access and opportunity to participate. and that takes mission and the works of all of us. >> thank you. are there any types of programs, concerts, performances that you would like to see more of at the kennedy center? >> thank you to the people who are writing these good questions for me. i grew up loving -- you heard me say that i love the st. matthew passion of bach. i also love stravinski's passion

of spring but i'm also compelled by the work that's being created today. and we need to have more work that's being created by artists today, so one of the great things is that we have the little dancer, which is a production, a musical theater production that will be opening soon at the kennedy center, and it is about artists who are creating today. i think we need to expand on that, i think we need to have other types of creative artists, i these we need to take a few more risks, bring our audiences along to understand and appreciate that. i keep being told that washington, d.c. is much more conservative in their tastes. but i'm going to push you on that and hope that you'll follow along, that we will promise to be trust worthy guides in that process.

but let's have a journey. you know, beethoven wrote some pretty experimental work, and it was very experimental at the time. so let's find who those artists are of our day. >> what is the future of the washington national opera? >> well, the -- the washington national opera is really old. it's been around a lot longer than the kennedy center has. so it's really about nurturing and encouraging and continuing to develop it as an artistic ensemble, an artistic organization, you can't ever stop supporting the growth of artists. you can never say, well that orchestra is a really great orchestra or that opera company has done everything. it is a constant support. you need to offer opportunities, stretch, grow.

we will continue to stretch and grow and the future of the washington national opera is great. [ applause ] thank you. >> some of these questions might have an obvious answer, but we like to hear it from you. so i ask, will ballet and dance continue to have a place in the kennedy center's programming. why? or why not? >> the real attraction to an individual who has spent 36 years going to multiple performances every week, is that i get to do all this other stuff as well. and ballet and dance are just as important in our work. i think that in fact, being in a place where we have all of these art forms under one roof and actually the opportunity to look

outside to the rest of the country to see what other art forms are not yet fully represented in the kennedy center is really important. it's fun, it's exciting to have all of these art forms and they build and grow because of the synergy of being there in one place. so i think that is an obvious question, but i'm happy to answer it. >> are you happy with the national symphony? what will it take for the national symphony to take a a leap to the top level of american orchestras? >> just as i said about the opera, is also true for the orchestra. you know, the word maestro actually means teacher. we think of it as an honorivic, like sir, in the art world. but it means teacher. every orchestra needs to be motivated, led, guided by teachers.

and they often need different kinds of teachers. one teacher will offer one kind -- it's like the science teacher, the math teacher, et cetera. christian echenbach is an extraordinary musician, we need to continue to elevate the quality of music making and the experience for both the audience and the orchestra. it's really important for you to know that the audience member is offense -- as it is to be grate performers on the stage. because it is about the relationship between the performers and the audience. you can feel it.

i can feel you. you feel what's going on in the audience and so your role as audience members are as important for the development of an artistic ensemble as anything else. so i need your help by being a part of our community that supports and nurtures the orchestra as it continues to grow as well. >> orchestras in minnesota and atlanta have in recent years been beset by labor strife, do you have any worries about that happening in washington? >> well, after six weeks on the job, i'm an expert on everything. one of the first things i have wanted to do is to get to know all of the people in the building, including the performers, whether in the nso or the opera house orchestra. and it is vital to have an open, honest dialogue around the hopes and aspirations, realities and future plans for your

institution. we don't always agree with one another, and i'm not saying that about the kennedy center, i'm saying that generally about performers and those of us who support the performers. but if we have open dialogue, honest, supportive communication, you can work through problems. and sometimes you have those moments where you hit heads, but the idea is if you talk enough, if you communicate, if you mostly listen and listen for understanding, you can get through that. and so i'm expecting that we will listen for understanding within all of the parties at the kennedy center. >> the audience for classical music and the other arts featured at the kennedy center is an old one. what are your ideas about attracting younger audiences to the kennedy center?

>> it's amazing how the same question has been asked for 36 years. and i only say 36 years because where that i wasn't aware of those questions being asked. but for the last 36 years, people have been asking the same question. so either we are dorian gray and we're getting younger and we're still the same audience. or people are still coming. and people are still coming. think about how many people are coming to performances all the time. the biggest issue that we have is that there are so many opportunities to engage in so many p different types of art forms. it used to be that there were only a few. that there were only a few theaters, there was only an orchestra or one or the other in a city. and now there is such proliferation, there's so much diversity of music and

creative performing arts taking place in our lives that we who may have used to attend all 30 subscription concerts have too many opportunities and we're spreading ourselves thin. so i actually believe it's about growing audiences, not just younger audiences. you have to wonder are there future audiences coming to whatever it is you're going to do, the audiences are not necessarily getting older. in fact in chicago, the audiences in the time that i was there went from an average age of 63 to 49. so it's about how you talk about it, how welcoming you are, what the experience is like, what the experience is outside of the performance space, as well as inside the performance space, how the artists communicate with

the audience, how you respond and have a dynamic relationship with audience, the audience is there. i read a really wonderful, wonderful statement that was in a review of a can conceran conc recently, and it was a young woman who had never been to a concert before. and she made the statement that said, it's much better to go to a live performance because in the live performance, you have all the other people and you're having that experience together. and that's the point. we can always listen at home or in our headset or another place, but it's about the shared experience of the live performance that is irreplaceable. and everybody knows that in the end. so i think it's about making sure we provide the invitation to participation, and that the experiences as present day and important to audiences. >> do you plan any outreach for

elderly adults in such institutions as nursing homes or senior retirement homes? >> this is actually one of the unsung, untold stories of what institutions like ours are doing. because sometimes good news doesn't get out. this is a great opportunity for me to make a pitch for good news doesn't always get told. but going into places where the individuals don't have the ability to get out into a concert hall or performance space is really important. it's also really important sometimes to provide the transportation to come in for those free programmings -- programs that do exist. and it's really important for us to honor those who have been attending for many years and then for whatever reason can't

attend any longer. as i look at all of the programs we have to offer, i am looking at where we may have gaps or where we may have an overinvestment and i look to calibrate those so that we serve the very -- the broad continuum for the first person who can fall in love with an art form at a young age, as -- those who can walk into a performance space to celebrate their life and their love of the performing arts. >> how will the kennedy center use it's future outdoor video wall that's part of the plan extension by architect steven hall. >> stay tuned. that's not a good enough answer. this is one of the great things about the work that we're doing with steven hall architects is that they are really pushing us to imagine the things that we haven't yet necessarily dreamed of.

and certainly there are some great examples of simulcasts from inside theaters to outside walls like the one that is being designed. but i have, in talking to my colleagues on the artistic programming staff at the kennedy center have a lot of really exciting ideas about all kinds of things that can be filmed up there or opportunities for improvisational dance in front of beautiful backdrops, or opportunities for performances to take place that are sort of spontaneous as well as the ones that might be a film series or a simulcast from the theater or a rebroadcast of a program, but it gives us huge flexibility to do all kinds of new things, it's really exciting. >> what's the future of the millennium stage. >> that's a really great question. the millennium stage is 14 plus years old now. and it was new and innovative

and when i heard that it was being announced, i thought, how in the world are they going to have 365 days of performances and lo and behold, they have 365 days of performances, it's really impressive and you can see it at the moment, or you can see it on our website, so that's really great. as with anything that's innovative and new, as is with art forms that are hundreds of years old, it needs to continue to grow and evolve and we don't have any specific plans, we will still always offer that programming, that free programming every single day. but as we have a new expansion to the south campus, we're likely to have new formats for the millennium stage as well. >> today is the last day of hispanic heritage month. yet the kennedy center honors has only recognized four hispanics in its history, and none this year, according to

this questioner. how do you feel about the recognition of diversity in the honors. >> as much as i would like to recognize that the honors is probably the most known event that takes place at the kennedy that takes place at the kenne center, at least around the country, throughout the country and the world. i would like to re-enforce also the fact that which do so much programming at the kennedy center and i was trying to share just a tidbit of that with you here today. and the programming that we offer is so diverse.

and i -- and it's even greater than i ever knew, as somebody who i thought was paying attention to what was going on in the arts, especially in the nation's capital, but it is a very symbolic thing to receive a kennedy center honor. that's why the process was changed a couple of years ago and an artistic committee that is highly revered and recognized for it's role in the arts, it's diversity and it's art form and it's diversity in back ground. i think that we can continue to refine that process and, while certainly we don't want to be dealing with quotas or have to do this or must do that, i believe that the symbolic nature of the honors is really important and i look to continuing that and strengthening that into the future. >> do you feel that cultural diplomacy is a tool that could be utilized more effectively? and if so, what role do you envision the kennedy center

playing in this international arena? >> ultimately -- first of all, i think you all have heard me say that the arts are a way of communicating with one another, in a way that words can't. and so i think that the performing arts and art, the visual arts are a way for us to understand one another in ways that politicians elected officials, individuals and groups who have strong positions may not be able to do so well. when you sit side by side and you make music together or you perform together in a theater group, you build a rapport that transcends any kind of conversation that you can actually have.

so i think cultural diplomacy is really vital for us to explore and for those of us who are in this world, for us to push forward and to support even greater than perhaps already has. i have had a really fabulous opportunity to tour the chicago -- with the chicago symphony orchestra around the world and we have used a program that we call citizen musician as an opportunity to provide a forum for bringing people together, to going to nursing homes, to going to rehabilitation centers, orphanages, to help young musicians aspire and train to become performers as well. and those perhaps are the most meaningful experiences that i had in all those years of touring and traveling to the great places with great concert halls around the world.

so i really believe that cultural diplomacy maybe is not the right word for us to use, but as an act of giving back, to think about citizenry and sharing artistry. and i think that if we can be a role model in offering that, the nso did this for a number of years through the american residency program and they would go to those states that don't have as much music or large orchestra and those kinds of programs and they would go out -- the musicians would fan out into the state and go into schools and community centers and libraries and offer their programming. that is some of the most exciting ways in which artists can share their art with others. and i would love to have us take an even greater role in doing that. >> of course, one of the central missions of any arts executives these days is fund raising.

do you find the fund raising environment more challenging in washington than in chicago? and what is your central pitch to prospective donors? you have a big audience. [ laughter ]. >> sign on the dotted line. first of all, every city likes to think that it's easier to raise money somewhere else. so in chicago, they said it must have been so much easier to raise money in seattle because all those high-tech people and they have all that new wealth and in seattle, they said, you come from los angeles and it's so large. every city thinks the same. and washington says the same. oh, chicago, they're so philanthropic, and they are and so is washington, d.c. and every city is ultimately very fill intlopic to the degree that they can give. in the case of the kennedy center, we actually reach across the country and around the world

which gives us a really great opportunity because of our international programming and the reach of our performs. the most important pitch is the one i just gave you, i believe, which is art is for life's sake and without it our lives are nothing. they're nowhere near as interesting, it isn't a way in which we can communicate and share and come together. so, in the end, it's about finding people who love the arts, who give back, who believe in sharing, and who want to share their passion just as much as we who are administrators love to share the passion. and there's nothing so rewarding as seeing young people participating in the arts or seeing something that you didn't know could happen happen. whether it's on dance stage or in the opera or with an orchestra. it's an incredibly rewarding act to give, to give to whatever you care about, but when you're giving to create art that is

then shared with so many others, it's not just about your own pleasure but it's about sharing that pleasure with so many others. it's an extraordinary feeling. >> how much interaction have you had so far with figures of the obama administration and on capitol hill and how interested are they in the kennedy center's mission? >> i think it was the first week on the job that i went to visit with valerie jarrett. and she has attended several activities with us and she and her team have interacted with us quite actively. i've been on the hill a number of times already, in fact this afternoon i have a meeting with the secretary of education. it's important for me to have a relationship with everybody here and to make a personal contact

and make a personal invitation, even though there's active participation at the kennedy center through performances and events. and we are really indebted to the obamas for their commitment, their ongoing commitment to the kennedy center and participation in so many ways.