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Patriotism is taking the spotlight at the Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital.
The National Symphony Orchestra will kick off every show in its 2025–2026 season by performing the national anthem in honor of America’s 250th birthday, Fox News Digital learned.
“The National Symphony should be playing the National Anthem,” Kennedy Center President Ambassador Richard Grenell said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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The new tradition for the season follows the Kennedy Center’s celebration of the National Symphony Orchestra’s 95th anniversary with a gala in September, which featured music director Gianandrea Noseda and works by famed composers Aaron Copland and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The event raised $3.45 million, breaking an all-time fundraising record, Fox News Digital previously reported.
While the National Symphony Orchestra’s performance highlights American pride, the Kennedy Center also is expanding its reach through another mission: honoring those who’ve served.
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Through its partnership with Vet Tix — a massive U.S. veteran-focused nonprofit that provides free tickets to live events for vets and their families — more than 2,000 tickets valued at more than $100,000 were donated to veterans, the Kennedy Center said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.
“We are incredibly grateful for our partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,” Michael A. Focareto III, founder and CEO of Vet Tix and U.S. Navy veteran, said in the statement. “Their generosity allows countless veterans, service members, and their families in the Capital Region to experience amazing performing arts productions and create memories that will last a lifetime.”
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More than 100 veterans and their families attended “The Sound of Music” in September, for example, while Grenell also donated tickets in his box to Gold Star Families, which are the immediate family members of U.S. service members who have died in the line of duty, Fox Digital learned.
“We’re committed to creating opportunities for everyone to experience the power of the performing arts, especially those who have served our great nation,” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, said in the statement.
Fox News Digital’s Cortney O’Brien contributed to this report.
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