BALTIMORE — Legendary singer Stevie Wonder and groundbreaking ballerina Misty Copeland will be the speakers at the Peabody Conservatory’s graduation ceremonies on May 22, the school announced today.
Copeland is the first African American woman to become a principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre's 75-year history. She will address undergraduates at the morning ceremony.
Wonder, one of the bestselling recording artists of all time, will speak at the afternoon ceremony for graduate students.
Both will receive the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music and Dance in America, the highest honor bestowed by the Peabody Institute, presented annually since 1980.
“Stevie Wonder and Misty Copeland have dedicated their lives to making art and to lifting up others through music and dance, inspiring audiences and setting powerful examples for generations of younger performers,” says Fred Bronstein, dean of the Peabody Conservatory. “I cannot imagine two more fitting speakers to send our graduating student artists out into the world to make their own impact.”
Both ceremonies will take place in Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall on the Peabody Institute’s Baltimore campus and will be livestreamed. In-person attendance is reserved for graduates and their guests.
Wonder will also receive an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University at its commencement ceremony on May 23.
