Video: tenor and honorand Placido Domingo serenades Ruth Bader Ginsburg

At Commencement, tenor and honorand Plácido Domingo surprises Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an opera fan, during the conferral of her degree.

Plácido Domingo and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Plácido Domingo and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Photograph by Stu Rosner

At the Morning Exercises, Harvard President Drew Faust conferred an honorary degree on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, L ’59. Fellow honorand Plácido Domingo sang the end of the conferral to her. View a video here:

Read about all this year's honorary degree recipients, or browse our complete coverage of Commencement 2011.

You might also like

Harvard Graduate Student Union Authorizes Another Strike

The University warns this walkout may not be protected by labor law, an assertion the union disputes.

FAS Readies for Administrative Transition

Faculty leaders say layoffs will yield $20 million in annual savings.

Trump Administration Asks Appeals Court to Restore Harvard Funding Cuts

The government’s lawyers homed in on a jurisdictional argument for its authority to to terminate federal grants. 

Most popular

Her Bread and Butter

A third-generation French baker on legacy loaves and the magic of baking

Social Media Use and Adult Depression

A survey reveals suprising links between social media use and depression in adults.

In Searing New Memoir, Emilee Hackney Struggles to Find Home

All That’s Unseen charts the Harvard graduate’s uneasy journey from Appalachia to Cambridge and back.  

Explore More From Current Issue

Modern building with large glass windows, surrounded by greenery and pedestrians.

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026

Three actors perform on stage, with one actor interacting closely with another, set against abstract backgrounds.

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.

A busy classroom filled with students working at computers, colorful decor, and a bright atmosphere.

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.