Bill Clinton: “When it comes to training in the performing arts, the Juilliard School stands alone. Juilliard has cultivated the genius…”

“When it comes to training in the performing arts, the Juilliard School stands alone. Juilliard has cultivated the genius of artists of world renown. We hear it in the flawless voice of Leontyne Price, in the virtuoso violin of Itzhak Perlman, the narrative jazz of Wynton Marsalis, the uninhibited humor of Robin Williams. But Juilliard does more than develop the skills of gifted artists. It instills in every student the obligation to share that talent with others through performances in hospitals, nursing homes, hundreds of free shows every year at the Lincoln Center. In honoring the artist in society, Juilliard opens the doors of art to the world. We honor it today for all it has done and all it will do in taking the best and making them even better. I'd like to ask Dr. Joe Polisi, the president of the Juilliard School, to come forward, and I'd like to ask the Colonel to read the citation. [Lieutenant Colonel Everhart read the citation, and the President presented the medal.]”