The Kennedy Center's Open Invitation

Roland Celette, cultural attache at the Embassy of France, says the Millennium Stage has presented a wide variety of French performers -- "from very classical music and contemporary dance to folk music, jazz and a cappella ensembles" -- as part of, and apart from, the 2004 Festival of France. Celette says the French Embassy invites groups "that are not so famous but are very good, so it's a good way for them to get through. . . . Of course, it's very nice for them to have on their résumé an appearance at the Kennedy Center -- it has a big prestige -- and they very much appreciate that everything is recorded and put on the Web site."

Other partners include the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, which annually presents "Homegrown: The Music of America" at the library and the Millennium Stage, and the Smithsonian's annual Folklife Festival. There is some theater and storytelling and a good amount of dance. Much of the latter comes via international programming, but the Millennium Stage commissions three new modern dance works every year.

According to Ross, a father of two, Millennium Stage events are perfect starter concerts. "Since there are no tickets involved, they offer families flexibility because they do not have to commit to a performance ahead of time. It's at a family-friendly hour, and the hour [length] is family-friendly. The [6 p.m. start] was not instituted specifically for families but around the start times of [regular] performances, usually 7:30 or later, but it's a big reason it has been so attractive to families. And it's real performing arts in a real environment." And should anyone get restless -- that applies to kids and parents -- they can take a walk on the River Terrace and come back.

A Millennium Stage audience can swell to several thousand for well-known artists such as Patti Smith, Frank Sinatra Jr. or Los Lobos. Certain annual events draw huge crowds, such as the Merry TubaChristmas concert (which can feature as many as 100 tubas) and the All-Star Christmas Day Jazz Jam, now dedicated to Keter Betts, the genial bassist who hosted the concert and helped turn it into a Washington tradition that draws overflow crowds every year. Those crowds can be quite active -- whether led in rousing scat song by Bobby McFerrin, 250 hand drummers loudly supporting the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra or the summer parties that set feet flying to all sorts of dance rhythms.

Washington jazz drummer and vibraphonist Chuck Redd has a long history with the Millennium Stage: He played its opening night with Billy Taylor and Charlie Byrd and has performed there more than two dozen times with his own group, as a guest artist with others and as part of the Christmas Day jams.

"I always enjoy it," Redd says. "It's been one of the best things about the arts scene in Washington for many years, and they're very receptive to booking local and regional musicians." Redd points out that people going to the Kennedy Center for an opera or dance performance may be exposed to a jazz concert for the first time, "so it's been absolutely wonderful for the [jazz] community."

For far-flung family, too: Redd's 15-year-old son, Charlie, a guitarist, has been a guest with dad in recent years, "and all our relatives and friends around the country can watch" on the Internet. Also able to watch are club owners and concert presenters, Redd says, adding that archived Internet performances serve as "an instant demo video around the country. Also, the sound is always excellent, and it's rare you get that in what's not actually a concert hall. I hope we celebrate the 40th anniversary some day." (Redd will play the Millennium Stage on Wednesday, supporting guitarists Steve Abshire and Vince Lewis.)

The Millennium Stage's reputation is so good that some people come without knowing, or caring, what's going to be on stage. In fact, some years back, a major snowstorm prevented the scheduled artists from getting to the Kennedy Center. Ross managed to track down a pianist living in Foggy Bottom, and the show went on -- with 200 people somehow getting through to provide the audience. That's loyalty.

Richard Harrington writes about popular music and popular culture in Weekend.