Free Kennedy Center holiday concert celebrates veterans and service members

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

The annual tribute, one of the Kennedy Center’s most meaningful holiday traditions, will feature vocalist Melinda Doolittle, orchestral performances and two patriotic pieces: a rendition of “Stars and Stripes for Christmas” and a full Armed Forces Service Song Medley that invites members of each branch to stand as their branch’s service anthems echo through the Concert Hall in Washington, D.C.

The performance comes at a time when many military families face deployments, financial pressures and vacation separations. Kennedy Center organizers say the unique challenges experienced by military families inspired this year’s emphasis on joy and American pride.

The event was free for all active duty service members, veterans, retired personnel and former service members whose vouchers were exchanged for a valid military ID. Demand was so high that the concert reached sell-out status.

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“Singing around the world for our United States military has been one of the most meaningful parts of my career,” Doolittle told Fox News Digital. “I have met families who have sacrificed more than we see, and service members who inspire me with their courage long after the music is over. It is a privilege to attend this concert and offer even a small expression of the gratitude they deserve.”

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

For the first time in history, Trump, who also served as president of the Kennedy Center, allocated funds for the venue with his “One, Big Beautiful Bill”.

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

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

“I know many of them have had to be away from their families for past holidays, so celebrating the spirit of the season with all of them is incredibly special,” she added.

Singer Melinda Doolittle and conductor Steven Reineke lead a Christmas concert for military families at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Courtesy Kennedy Center, Getty Images)

Fox News Digital was granted exclusive access to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall as the National Symphony Orchestra and choir rehearsed for Thursday’s performance.

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

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This year’s concert is presented by the National Symphony Orchestra with support from aerospace and defense firm RTX, whose partnership helps keep the event free for troops.