The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces the program for July 20, the third and final evening of An American Playlist: Three Evenings Celebrating the Performing Arts, featuring Harolyn Blackwell, Branford Marsalis, John Mayer, Smokey Robinson, and the National Symphony Orchestra. This free evening of music celebrates the culmination of the Arts in Crisis 50 State tour.

Last year, Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser launched a nationwide tour of 69 arts-community conversations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The tour ends July 16 in Boise, Idaho and on July 20, Kaiser will introduce the evening with brief remarks about his findings and experiences.

"After a year and half of traveling, I have seen first-hand the resiliency of arts organizations and the commitment they have to serving and enriching their communities," said Mr. Kaiser. "The Kennedy Center celebrates the vitality of the arts and the inspiration that arts ignite in our youth."

Acclaimed opera singer and D.C. native, soprano Harolyn Blackwell is recognized for her expressive and exuberant performances, with a career that has spanned opera, concert and recital stages around the world. She has performed with many of the major national and international opera companies and festivals, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Glyndebourne Festival, Teatro Colón de Buenes Aires, Seattle Opera, Opéra de Nice, Miami Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Opera Orchestra of New York and New York's Mostly Mozart Festival. Metropolitan Opera productions include Un ballo in mascara, Le nozze di Figaro, Manon, Die Fledermaus, Werther and La fille du régiment.

World-renowned saxophonist and three-time Grammy® winner Branford Marsalis continues to exercise and expand his skills as an instrumentalist, a composer, and the head of Marsalis Music-the label he founded in 2002. Among the most socially conscious voices in the arts, Marsalis quickly immersed himself in relief efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He is the honorary chair of the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity effort to rebuild the city, and together with his friend Harry Connick, Jr. conceived the Habitat Musicians' Village currently under construction in the city's historic Ninth Ward. Marsalis will perform Darius Milhaud's saxophone concerto Scaramouche.

Throughout his recording career, John Mayer has served as an advocate and patron of youth arts & music programs. As a former Berklee College of Music student, Mayer is a compelling advocate for arts education as an essential counter-balance to traditional studies. As one of the rare musicians to achieve both critical acclaim and popular appeal, the seven-time Grammy Award® winner has championed both national and local arts organizations over the years. Since 2006, John has been a part of VH1 Save The Music's public service campaigns and fundraising campaigns - in 2009, he even headlined his own ;One Splendid Evening: A night with John Mayer & Friends to contribute to Save The Music's work. While on tour, he has participated in The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' ;GRAMMY In The Schools program which connects students and artists for Q&A sessions focusing on career-oriented discussions and performance. Over the years, Mayer has returned to Berklee to teach master classes in songwriting and his own Back To You Fund that earmarks funds for local arts-related programs across the country, amongst other causes.

Grammy Award®-winner and 2006 Kennedy Center Honoree Smokey Robinson has created a body of work that has transformed and defined American music across any pop, soul, R&B, or rock and roll divide. He was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1991, he won a Soul Train Music Award for Career Achievement. In 2006, Howard University conferred on Smokey Robinson an honorary Doctor of Music degree.

About to begin its 80th season with Music Director Christoph Eschenbach, the National Symphony Orchestra regularly participates in events of national and international importance, including performances for state occasions, presidential inaugurations, and official holiday celebrations. Through its tours of four continents and performances for heads of state, the National Symphony also fills an important international role. Historically the NSO is noted for its commitment to both artistic excellence and music education, including its American Residencies (in 20 states thus far) and one of the country's most extensive educational programs. The NSO will perform an independent selection and will accompany Blackwell, Marsalis, Mayer, and Robinson.

This performance is free but tickets are required. Two free tickets per one person in line will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at 9 a.m. in the Kennedy Center Hall of Nations (line forms to left of entrance) on Saturday, July 10, 2010. NOTE: There is no free parking when attending or picking up tickets for free events. No late seating for performances will be allowed. A live broadcast in the Grand Foyer will take place for patrons who are unable to be here on the day of the ticket give-away, for those who arrive late, or for those who don't have a ticket.