The Kennedy Center's Open Invitation

Johnson notes extensive outreach to Washington's diplomatic enclaves and diverse ethnic communities and to schools. "We can't say we're doing our jobs with an appropriate memorial to John F. Kennedy unless it is clearly for everyone, and clearly welcoming to everybody, and we take down the barrier of cost so we don't have an invisible barrier to coming to the institution."

And, Johnson adds, the Millennium Stage was never just an experiment. "We always saw it as an essential, core commitment of the institution, to reach out to the city, to the international community, to people visiting Washington from around the country. It's essential that the program be diverse; it's also essential that nobody need to plan or arrange to do it."

There is, after all, a Washington tradition of free access: The Smithsonian Institution's many museums don't charge admission; neither does the National Gallery of Art.

"But museums don't change their collection every day," Johnson says, adding that the Millennium Stage concept "was at a level of ambition that was substantial: Every single day of the year, there will be a quality performance in the Grand Foyer at 6 o'clock; no ticket required, nor reservation required. Everyone's welcome."

Such ambition was in keeping with the national cultural center chartered by Congress in 1958 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower and envisioned by President John F. Kennedy as a place belonging to every American. Since its opening in 1971, it has become the nation's busiest arts facility, presenting more than 3,300 performances a year, and became home to the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Opera and the Washington Ballet.

The Kennedy Center is also a major destination for tourists: Three million people visit the center each year, and 1.2 million stay for paid performances.

Although many cultural institutions offer free performances in some fashion, only London's National Theatre approaches the Kennedy Center, offering free pre-performance concerts in its Djanogly Concert Pitch Monday through Saturday and at lunchtime Saturdays. Those concerts predate the Millennium Stage but are mostly chamber classical and jazz. In 1998, Christopher Hogg, chairman of Reuters and the National Theatre, sent a note to Johnson thanking the Kennedy Center and Millennium Stage for pointing the way to "doing what's new and innovative with free programming."

Hogg was acknowledging the broad spectrum of performing arts offered, from chamber music and jazz to folk, comedy, country and bluegrass, and loads of dance and theater both homegrown and international. Ross notes the "increased presence of American roots and traditional music and world roots and traditional music, areas of strength that weren't areas the center already had a strong demonstrated commitment to."

"It's performing arts for everyone, but not at the same time," Ross says. "Avant-garde jazz or new classical or really traditional folk, from one show to the next, and one audience to the next, it's not everyone's cup of tea, and that's, in fact, our intent. That allows us to be many things to many people, whereas, as an institution, we have more of [a defined] vision of what we are. Millennium Stage can supplement that in a sort of micro-approach."

Take the Conservatory Project, which presents young artists in classical music, jazz, musical theater and opera from 14 leading undergraduate and graduate conservatories, colleges and universities, including the Juilliard School, Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory of Music and Baltimore's Peabody Conservatory of Music. Two weeklong celebrations in February and May will feature top young artists making their debuts in the Terrace Theater; many others will appear in the Grand Foyer. As part of the 2005 Festival of China, 100 pianists performed together on the South Plaza; 96 of them were conservatory students.

"Our commitment to presenting students is tied in to our commitment to arts and education and the role that a national arts organization, can, should and, in this case, does play in that," says Ross, adding that it doesn't hurt for people to be able to say they've performed at the Kennedy Center. Although the focus is on a mix of graduate, undergraduate and postgraduate students, Millennium Stage also works with top public school arts programs across the country and a dozen regional school districts during March's Music in Our Schools programs.

Ross says the Millennium Stage is also a platform for partnerships with embassies and presenting organizations that "highlight Washington's role in the cultural fabric of America and the world." That has allowed for performances by such great artists as Juanes, Senegal's Youssou N'Dour and Nigeria's King Sunny Ade, France's Les Nubians and the Congolese ensemble Konono No. 1.