Diane Sawyer and Mike Nichols co-host the evening, which celebrates the legacy of the 35th President of the United States.

Performers and presenters include Harolyn Blackwell, Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, The Manzari Brothers, Terrence McNally, Lorne Michaels, Paul Simon and The Harvard Glee Club. Veronika Part of American Ballet Theatre will perform The Dying Swan.

Kennedy Center and National Symphony Orchestra music director Christoph Eschenbach will also conduct the NSO in Peter Lieberson's world-premiere composition, "Remembering JFK: An American Elegy," which will be narrated by Morgan Freeman.

The Presidency of John F. Kennedy: A 50th Anniversary Celebration's opening concert, on the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s inauguration, commences "a three-week-long series of performances and events that commemorate the President who led the United States into the modern era of global participation," according to the Kennedy Center.

The evening is sold out. For more information visit www.kennedy-center.org.