Philip Glass Joins Renée Fleming in Kennedy Center Boycott Over Trump's Influence

The Kennedy Center is a taxpayer-funded mess. https://t.co/sOmPZSKw5Z — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) January 19, 2024

In December, Trump's Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced a plan to rename the center the Trump-Kennedy Center, sparking further protests. Chuck Redd canceled his Christmas Eve performance, and the Washington National Opera announced its departure after 55 years.

Acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming resigned from her artistic advisor role a year ago. Her performances scheduled for May were recently canceled due to a "scheduling conflict." She previously expressed hope that the Kennedy Center would maintain bipartisan support, flourish, and serve its diverse audience.

Glass, the legendary minimalist composer, has now joined the boycott. He was commissioned six years ago by the National Symphony Orchestra to compose a symphony honoring Abraham Lincoln for the Kennedy Center's 50th anniversary. Although he missed the initial deadline, his Symphony No. 15, "Lincoln," was set to premiere this June. He announced his withdrawal in a social media post:

> After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw my Symphony No. 15 "Lincoln" from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony. Therefore, I feel an obligation to withdraw this Symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership.

Despite the turmoil, the National Symphony Orchestra intends to remain at the Kennedy Center. Joan Bialek, the chair of the orchestra's board, stated, "We are going to make this work... I was born in Washington, grew up with the Kennedy Center, grew up in the N.S.O., and I can’t let it disappear. We will make it through this."

The question remains whether Glass's withdrawal will influence the orchestra's decision and where the 88-year-old composer, a 2018 Kennedy Center Honoree, will ultimately premiere his new work.