Video: ‘September 8, 1971 – Opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC’

(Wednesday, September 8, 1971, 7:30 p.m. EDT) — The $70 million John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts officially opened tonight with a formal gala featuring the world premiere of a Requiem mass honoring U.S. President John F. Kennedy, a work commissioned from the legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.