Argentine pianist virtuoso Martha Argerich will be recognized for her musical contributions at the 39th annual Kennedy Center Honors.
"My late mother would be very proud today, and I would like to share this wonderful tribute with her," Argerich said in a statement.
Argerich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1941 and began playing piano when she was 3 years old. In 1957, she won the Bolzano and Geneva Piano Competitions, and in 1965 she won the prestigious Warsaw International Chopin Competition.
Argerich's taped her first commercial recording in 1960. and five years later she had her U.S. debut at the Lincoln Center's Great Performers series.
Argerich's work spans musical eras and composers, from Romantic to Classical and from Shostakovich to Ravel.
Other Kennedy Center honorees are the iconic rock band The Eagles, gospel singer Mavis Staples and guitarist James Taylor. The ceremony takes place December 4.
