[ad_1]
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has canceled multiple New Year’s Eve performances, adding to a growing wave of artist withdrawals following the venue’s renaming to include President Donald Trump.
Jazz ensemble the Cookers had two scheduled New Year’s Eve performances canceled, according to the Kennedy Center’s website on Monday, the New York Times reported. The cancellations follow Doug Varone and Dancers’ announcement that they are pulling out of their April performances in protest of the renaming.
Newsweek reached out to the Kennedy Center via email on Monday for additional comment.
Why It Matters
The cancellations highlight deepening tensions between the arts community and the Trump administration’s control of one of America’s most prestigious cultural institutions.
The Kennedy Center, traditionally viewed as a nonpartisan space for artistic excellence, has become a flashpoint in broader debates about political influence over cultural institutions.
The financial and reputational consequences affect both the artists withdrawing—Varone told the Times he estimates a $40,000 loss—and the venue itself, which faces an increasingly fractured relationship with performers and potential legal challenges over the renaming’s legality.
What To Know
The wave of cancellations began in February when Trump removed board members and replaced them with supporters. High-profile artists, including Pulitzer winner Rhiannon Giddens, soprano Renée Fleming, and singer-songwriter Ben Folds, resigned advisory roles or canceled performances in protest.
Jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled his annual free Christmas Eve concert after seeing the name change on the Kennedy Center’s website and building, prompting Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell to threaten a $1 million lawsuit. Redd has led the venue’s holiday “Jazz Jams” since 2006, taking over from bassist William “Keter” Betts. Folk singer Kristy Lee from Alabama withdrew from a January 14 free concert, citing integrity over financial concerns.
Doug Varone and Dancers were scheduled to perform April 24-25 at the Eisenhower Theater, celebrating the company’s 40th anniversary and honoring two departing dance administrators, Jane Raleigh and Alicia Adams.
The reason for the Cookers’ New Year’s Eve cancellations remains unclear. The performances had been promoted as featuring an “all-star jazz septet that will ignite the Terrace Theater stage with fire and soul,” according to the Times reporting.
The renaming has sparked legal controversy. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, and Congress passed legislation in 1964 establishing the center as a living memorial to him. The law restricts the board of trustees from dedicating the building to anyone else or placing another individual’s name on its exterior. The White House has said the decision was approved by a board appointed by the president, though legal scholars and historians argue congressional approval would be required.
What People Are Saying
Roma Daravi, Vice President of PR for the Kennedy Center, shared in a statement to Newsweek last week: “Any artist cancelling their show at the Trump Kennedy Center over political differences isn’t courageous or principled—they are selfish, intolerant, and have failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all people. Art is a shared cultural experience meant to unite, not exclude. The Trump Kennedy Center is a true bipartisan institution that welcomes artists and patrons from all backgrounds—great art transcends politics, and America’s cultural center remains committed to presenting popular programming that inspires and resonates with all audiences.”
Doug Varone, Doug Varone and Dancers told The New York Times: “It is financially devastating but morally exhilarating.
“We can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.”
Folk singer Kristy Lee, according to the Times: “I won’t lie to you, canceling shows hurts. This is how I keep the lights on. But losing my integrity would cost me more than any paycheck.”
Democratic Representative Steve Cohen said in a speech in Congress: “The idea that Donald Trump would want his name to go before Kennedy’s or even with Kennedy’s is a sacrilege. It should not be changed, ever.”
What Happens Next
Kerry Kennedy, Kennedy’s niece, has said she intends to remove Trump’s name once he leaves office.
Whether additional artists will cancel upcoming performances or whether the center can rebuild trust with traditional performers remains to be seen.
[ad_2]