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

Three Harvard Alumni and a Former Postdoc Named MacArthur Fellows

A labor economist, an organic chemist, a physicist, and a memory researcher were honored with 2026 “genius” grants.

At Harvard’s IOP, Two Views of Diversity Get a Hearing

Professor Cornell William Brooks and Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts hold a lively debate on DEI and Project 2025.

Harvard Graduate Students Union Begins Strike Authorization Vote

Amid contract negotations, two unions are discussing a joint walkout this fall.

Most popular

How Facebook Escaped Harvard

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

A Play for the Ages Propels Crimson Football to Victory

Dick Friedman on Harvard’s 20-17 win over Colgate

Stephen Greenblatt on Adam and Eve

Stephen Greenblatt explores the myths and meanings of Adam and Eve.

Explore More From Current Issue

A smiling William C. Kirby in a suit with glasses stands outdoors, surrounded by greenery.

The president of Harvard Magazine’s Board of Directors will step down in September.

Runners compete on a track, with a Harvard athlete in the foreground and others behind.

After a historic 2025-26 season, athletes eye NCAA championships.

A football player in a white jersey evades a defender in a green uniform on the field.

Despite personnel losses, Crimson captain Xaviah Bascon is upbeat about the 2026 season.