The Kennedy Center honors will be presented later this year to Bruce Springsteen, Mel Brooks and Robert DeNiro, as well as jazz legend Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry.

The event is scheduled for December 5th at a U.S. State Department dinner and then gala at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. December 6th, with a broadcast of the presentations and several performers on December 29th.

In a statement, Stephen A. Schwarzman, chief executive of Blackstone Group and Kennedy Center Chairman, said the two-day event “celebrates five extraordinary individuals whose unique and abundant artistry has contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world.”

Springsteen’s career spans some four decades, including landmark albums such as Born to Run and Born in the USA to 2007’s acclaimed Magic and this year’s Working on a Dream. The 59-year-old singer, songwriter and performer recently played to huge stadium audiences in Europe with his fabled E Street Band, and is now playing stadiums and other venues in America through the fall.

“It is a privilege to be recognized in the company of the best of my fellow artists,” Springsteen said.

Brooks, 83, was a writer for Sid Caesar’s famous 1950s Your Show of Shows TV program, partnered with Carl Reiner (also a fellow Caesar writer) for the 2,000-Year-Old Man comedy albums and performances, directed comedy classics such as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, and was the writer and director of the 1968 film, The Producers, adapted for Broadway in 2001.

“Just recently, I met a girl who was very thin — I mean we’re talkin’ skinny here,” Brooks said in typical joke-cracking fashion. “The girl was so skinny that last night I took her to a restaurant and the head waiter said, ‘Check your umbrella?’ But on a more serious note, I’d like to tell you how excited I am to be recognized by the Kennedy Center.”

DeNiro’s celebrated film career of more then 45 years includes Oscar-winning roles in The Godfather II and Raging Bull, as well as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Departed, and comedies such as Analyze This and Meet the Parents. In June 2006, DeNiro donated his film archive — including scripts, costumes, and props — to the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin. DeNiro turned 66 in August and is said to be working with longtime collaborator, filmmaker Martin Scorsese on a new project.

A jazz icon, Brubeck’s “Take 5″ and “Blue Rondo a la Turk” are jazz classics. The 78-year-old (he turns 79 at the time of the honors) pianist has recorded scores of albums and performed around the world.

A genuine diva, Bumbry, 62, is a leading mezzo-soprano and major soprano of 20th and 21st century opera. Paving the way for African-American opera and classical singers who’d follow, she mentored many as well.  A longtime resident of Switzerland, she currently lives in Salzburg, Austria.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will receive the winners at the White House prior to the gala event.

The Kennedy Center honors began in 1978, during the term of President Jimmy Carter.