The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University has announced that seven-time GRAMMY winner Terence Blanchard will receive the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music and Dance in America.

He will receive the award on May 24, 2023 and will speak at the Peabody Conservatory’s graduation ceremony.

The George Peabody Medal is the Institute’s highest honor, recognizing artists and community leaders who have made a significant impact on American music and culture as innovators, trailblazers, and public citizens.

The acclaimed musician became the first Black composer to have a work performed at the Metropolitan Opera with his recent operas Champion and Fire Shut Up in My Bones. He is an Oscar nominee who received recognition for his scores for Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansmen” and “Da 5 Bloods.

In a statement, Peabody Dean Fred Bronstein noted, “We are thrilled to have the privilege of honoring Terence Blanchard, whose remarkable and inspiring achievements in music across multiple genres, from the concert stage, to film, and now opera, are making an indelible mark on American culture. Fresh off his most recent success with the Metropolitan Opera’s acclaimed new production of Champion, Terence Blanchard is the very embodiment of a 21st-century citizen artist, someone who so intentionally and thoughtfully continues to expand his own artistic horizons and those of his audiences through his powerful creations and performances.”