Doreen Ketchens, the jazz clarinetist street performer from New Orleans, performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., fulfilling a dream performance for herself.

Doreen Ketchens, OffBeat August 2019

Ketchens performed her first-ever public jazz gig in 1987 at the Republican National Convention. At that time, Ketchens ran an eatery called Doreen’s Sweets. After her performance, Ketchens assembled a band and began playing on the streets of New Orleans.

The intersection of Royal Street and St. Peter, known as “Doreen’s Corner,” is where Ketchens has played her Dixieland jazz for over 30 years. Ketchens also performs at local concert halls and music festivals with her band Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans.

Doreen Ketchens. Photo by Gus Bennett

In December 2022, broadcast journalist Ted Koppel visited New Orleans to interview Ben Jaffe and Doreen Ketchens for a CBS Sunday Morning segment about performing during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During the interview, Koppel asked Ketchens where she dreamed of performing someday; she stated that she dreamed of playing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Kevin Struthers, Director of Jazz Programming at the Kennedy Center, saw that Ketchens’ dream would become a reality.

Struthers saw Koppel’s interview with Ketchens on CBS Sunday Morning and called Ketchens the following day to offer her an opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center.

Ketchens made her Kennedy Center debut on May 12, accompanied by Stephen Walker on trombone, Dave Hammer on guitar, Herman LeBeaux Jr. on drums, and Ketchens’ husband, Lawrence, on sousaphone. 

At the end of her performance, Doreen Ketchens received a standing ovation from the audience and was called back for an encore.