Ballet barrier-breaker Misty Copeland, award-winning mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, “Frankenstein” star and Juilliard graduate Oscar Isaac, and singer-songwriter Paul Simon will receive honorary doctorates from the Juilliard School next month, the institution announced Monday.
They’re being celebrated for their game-changing contributions to their respective fields, the school said. The May 22 ceremony in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center will start at 11:30 a.m. and will be livestreamed.
“Each of this year’s remarkable honorary doctorate recipients has left an indelible mark on their field,” said Juilliard’s president Damian Woetzel in a statement. “As we celebrate Juilliard’s class of 2026, we acknowledge these artists who stand as shining examples of extraordinary achievement and impact on the world.”
Copeland, 43, began studying ballet at age 13 and moved to New York City when she was 18 to join the American Ballet Theater Studio Company in 2000. In 2015 she made history as the first Black woman to be named a principal dancer. She retired in October 2025 and continues to be active as an advocate, especially through her Misty Copeland Foundation, which supports diversity in dance. Most recently she joined the cast of “Sinners” onstage at the Oscars, amid a kerfuffle with Timothee Chalamet over the relevance of ballet.
Over a more than four-decade career, Graves has won Emmy and Grammy awards and is the U.S.’s Global Music Ambassador, Juilliard said. Her eponymous Denyce Graves Foundation honors “overlooked musical voices” and supporting people of color in their pursuit of classical music.
Isaac earned critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination as the mad scientist in Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 “Frankenstein” remake. His long list of credits also includes starring with fellow Juilliard grad Jessica Chastain (who received her honorary doctorate in 2024) in the 2021 remake of “Scenes From a Marriage,” and a host of other movies. In addition he has an extensive theater background, Juilliard noted.
Simon’s career spans a good seven decades, and in addition he supports numerous causes and has raised millions of dollars to support music and arts education in New York City, Juilliard said. The winner of 16 Grammy awards, including one for lifetime achievement, He is also a two-time Rock & Roll hall of Fame inductee.
With News Wire Services