John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated in 1963. On September 8, 1971, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (commonly known as the Kennedy Center) opened as the national cultural center of the United States and as a “living memorial” to President John F. Kennedy. Leonard Bernstein’s Mass was premiered on this occasion.
In 2025, after his second inauguration, Donald Trump dismissed the Center’s trustees and replaced them with his supporters, who then elected him chairman and, in a move that was later determined to be illegal, voted to add his name to the Center.
After multiple withdrawals of artistic ensembles and concert cancellations in response to these actions, it was announced that the Kennedy Center would close for two years for repairs. Some have viewed this as merely a preliminary action being taken before closing the Center down permanently.
In 1973, in response to events surrounding Richard Nixon’s second inauguration and the continuing Viet Nam War, Leonard Bernstein conducted a performance of Haydn’s Mass in a Time of War at the Washington National Cathedral. It was billed as a “call for peace.”
In a gesture that takes inspiration from Bernstein’s example, an eclectic group of artists and arts organizations in the DMV is responding to the events at the Kennedy Center with a production called Bernstein: MASS – This Shall Be Our Reply. This performance of Bernstein’s Mass by a diverse confederation of performers from around the DMV will take place on September 4 and 5 at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. The performance will commemorate the 55th anniversary of the opening of The Kennedy Center and the premiere of Bernstein’s Mass.
The press release describes this presentation as “a collective response to support the presence of music and art that speaks to and for the people.”
Among those collective participants are Georgetown Chorale, IN Series, Washington Douglass Chorale, and Handel Choir of Baltimore.
Shana Oshiro, herself a dynamic vocal performer who has been seen in many productions in the DMV, gathered and focused a lot of the energy that culminated in this collaboration:
“When the closure of the Kennedy Center was announced, arts leaders from throughout the DC Metro region sprang into action to collaborate on an affirmative response of solidarity with artists and allies of the arts.”
Oshiro reached out to her resources and received positive responses, including from someone who made a substantive financial pledge to help make the project a reality:
“This was a sign to me that others would feel similarly enthusiastic — and I believed that for all the expense and effort that would be involved, if everyone who was grieved to hear about the Kennedy Center pledged even $1, we would be able to do this project ten times.
“It is our intention to celebrate and uplift the spirit that gave life to the Kennedy Center since its inauguration in 1971, for which MASS was premiered. We declare that this spirit is very much alive in any and every space where We, the People gather to create and witness art.”
Bernstein: MASS – This Shall Be Our Reply performs at 7:00 pm, September 4 and 5, 2026, presented by the IN Series (in collaboration with arts organizations throughout the DC-Metro region) at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC.
Admission is free with donations encouraged. Tickets can be reserved with a choice of seats for a donation of $50 each. For ticket reservations, optional donation RSVP, and more information to support, visit www.mass2026.com.
You can listen to Timothy Nelson, artistic director of IN Series, which is one of the project’s supporters, give a brief but exciting observation about the irony, the paradox, and the importance of performing Bernstein’s Mass at this time.
Bernstein: MASS – This Shall Be Our Reply
Featuring Robin McGinness (Celebrant), CityDance DC, and singers from Georgetown Chorale, Washington Douglass Chorale, Washington Men’s Camerata, Heritage Signature Chorale, the Children’s Chorus of Washington, and more.
SEE ALSO:
Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Mass’ at Kennedy Center a fiery force to behold (review by Alexandra Bowman, September 16, 2022)
