Two eminent classical music stars (and two of my own personal favorites, as if you care) received the National Medal of Arts Thursday at the White House -- soprano Jessye Norman, one of the most distinctive and expressive singers of the past 50 years; and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, an incisive interpreter of both established and cutting-edge repertoire, and a superb educator.
John Williams, the celebrated film composer and conductor, was also on this year's list. Other recipients: rock icon Bob Dylan, actor/director Clint Eastwood, designer Milton Glaser, artist/architect Maya Lin, singer/actor Rita Moreno, artist Frank Stella, and Joseph P. Riley Jr., the mayor of Charleston, S.C. (home of the Spoleto Festival USA). Two institutions received medals, too -- the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the School of American Ballet.