Alison Krauss to Be Awarded National Medal of Arts

Alison Krauss is among those chosen to receive the National Medal of Arts from President Trump. The honorees, including the country-bluegrass musician, actor Jon Voight, and the bands of the United States military, mark the first recipients of arts and humanities medals of Trump’s presidency.

Trump is set to present the medals at the White House during a Thursday ceremony. It’s unknown if Krauss will attend. A rep for the Grammy-winning vocalist did not return a request for comment.

The White House announced the honorees in a release on Sunday night that extolled Krauss’s “extraordinary contributions to American music” and noted how she has “entertained and enriched the souls of millions.” It also initially misspelled her name as “Allison.”

Known for her exemplary fiddle playing and angelic voice, Krauss has released music as a solo artist and with the group Union Station, featuring Dan Tyminski and Jerry Douglas. In 2007 she joined Robert Plant to release the Grammy-winning album Raising Sand. Overall, Krauss has received 27 Grammy awards.

Last week, she was announced as one of the headliners of the 2020 MerleFest, the annual string-music festival in North Carolina.

Recipients of the Medal of Humanities — the counterpart honor to the Medal of Arts — include chef Patrick J. O’Connell and mystery novelist James Patterson.