Free Kennedy Center holiday concert celebrates veterans and service members

The Kennedy Center will honor America’s service members, veterans and military families with a patriotic holiday extravaganza Thursday evening, as the National Symphony Orchestra presents its sold-out concert “Notes of Honor: NSO Salutes the Military” that organizers say is intended to celebrate the sacrifices of the nation’s armed forces.

This annual tribute, one of the Kennedy Center’s most important holiday traditions, will feature singer Melinda Doolittle, orchestral performances and two patriotic centerpieces: a performance of “Stars and Stripes for Christmas” and a full Armed Forces Service Song that calls on members of each branch to rise up as their branch’s service anthem echoes through the Washington, D.C., Concert Hall.

This performance comes at a time when many military families are facing deployments, financial stress and the holidays. Kennedy Center organizers say the unique challenges faced by military families inspired this year’s focus on American joy and pride.

The event was free to all active duty service members, veterans, retirees and former service members, who had their vouchers redeemed for tickets with a valid military ID. Demand was so high that the concert reached sold-out status.

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“Singing for our U.S. military around the world has been one of the most important parts of my career,” Doolittle told Fox News Digital. “I have met families who sacrifice more than we ever see, and service members whose courage inspires me long after the music has ended. It is an honor to join this ceremony and offer even a small expression of the gratitude they deserve.”

The Kennedy Center said the event’s goal is simple: to give families who bear the burden of national defense a special night just for them. The program represents one of the first major military honors offered by the Kennedy Center during president Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Trump, who also serves as president of the Kennedy Center in a historic first, earmarked funds for the venue in his “Big Beautiful Bill.”

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Principal conductor Steven Reineke, left, poses with a military service member at the “Notes of Honor” concert in 2019 at the Kennedy Center. (Courtesy of the Kennedy Center)

““Our annual ‘Notes of Honor’ holiday concert is certainly one of my favorite traditions with our National Symphony Orchestra. It fills me with such gratitude and warmth to be able to offer a little something to the brave men and women of our Armed Forces and their families,” Principal Conductor Steven Reineke told Fox News Digital.

“I know many of them have had to stay away from their families over the past holidays, so it’s very special to celebrate the spirit of the season with all of them,” he added.

Singer Melinda Doolittle and bandleader Stephen Reineke lead the Christmas Concert for Military Families at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Courtesy of the Kennedy Center, Getty Images)

Fox News Digital was given exclusive access to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall where the National Symphony Orchestra and full chorus rehearsed for Thursday’s performance.

The “Remarks of Honor” tradition has become a hallmark of the Kennedy Center’s December programs, offering a rare night in the nation’s capital where the audience is made up almost entirely of military families.

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This year the concert is presented by the National Symphony Orchestra with support from aerospace and defense company RTX, whose partnership helps make the event free for service members.