Composer says values of Trump-dominated Kennedy Center \u2018are in direct conflict\u2019 with symphony\u2019s message<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Philip Glass<\/a>, the celebrated US composer, has withdrawn the world premiere of his latest symphony at Washington DC\u2019s John F Kennedy Center<\/a> in protest of Donald Trump\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a statement on Tuesday, the 88-year-old composer said:<\/a> \u201cAfter thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw my Symphony No 15 \u2018Lincoln\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTherefore, I feel an obligation to withdraw this symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Glass\u2019s world premiere was scheduled to take place at the venue on 12 and 13 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The decision by Glass, who was an award recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018, comes amid broader turmoil at the Kennedy Center following a leadership overhaul initiated by Trump after his second presidency began in early 2025. He installed a new board of trustees at the center and has pursued controversial changes to the institution\u2019s name and mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In December, the president changed the world renowned venue\u2019s name to the \u201cTrump-Kennedy Center\u201d. He made that switch amid a slew of cancellations<\/a> from musical artists who have voiced their opposition towards the administration\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Critics argue that the Trump administration\u2019s attack on what it considers to be \u201cwoke\u201d \u2013 or overly leftist \u2013 culture politicizes the arts and alienates performers. Rhode Island US senator Sheldon Whitehouse, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center governing board, told\u2002<\/a>the Guardian: \u201cWhen the brigands took the ship, their first instinct was to loot it for their own benefit and hire their friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Guardian has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n