THE WHITE HOUSE

                      Office of The Press Secretary
                           (Houston, Texas)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                      June 19, 2000

       PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES JOAN BENNETT KENNEDY TO THE PRESIDENT'S 
                     ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE ARTS OF THE
              JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The President announced today his intention to appoint Joan Bennett Kennedy to the President?s Advisory Committee on the Arts of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Ms. Joan Bennett Kennedy, of Boston, Massachusetts, is a versatile musician, both as a performer and educator. She has made numerous appearances as a pianist, principally in the Washington, DC area and New England, often in concerts benefiting charitable causes. Additionally, Ms. Kennedy has made numerous appearances as a orchestral narrator, performing such works as Peter and the Wolf with The Boston Pops, and Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra with The Boston Pops and the Washington National Symphony Orchestra. Extending herself beyond the performance field, Ms. Kennedy has taught music to children and authored The Joy of Classical Music.

In 1995 Boston's Mayor Thomas Menino appointed Ms. Kennedy to be the Chair of Boston?s Council for the Arts and Humanities. She also served on the Board of the Washington National Symphony Orchestra from 1964 to 1978. She is now a Board Member of Boston's Children's Hospital and the New England Conservatory. Over the years, Ms. Kennedy has also been active in numerous civic and charitable activities in Boston.

Ms. Kennedy received a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Music and English Literature from Manhattanville College of Sacred Heart, a Master's in Music Education from Lesley College, and has completed additional studies at Boston Conservatory to be a public elementary school music teacher.

The President?s Advisory Committee on the Arts of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts advises and consults with the Board of Trustees for the Center, and makes recommendations to the Board regarding existing and prospective cultural activities to be featured at the center. In addition, the members of the Committee assist in the Center's fundraising efforts and act as liaisons to performance groups and performing arts centers throughout the nation.

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