Philip Glass cancels Kennedy Center performance due to conflicting “values”
“The values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony,” the composer wrote in a statement.
Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images
Philip Glass is the latest artist to withdraw performances from the Kennedy Center following a controversial takeover of the Center by President Donald Trump.
The 88-year old composer was set to premiere Lincoln, a symphony about the late American President, on June 12 and June 13.
"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," Glass wrote in a statement on social media as he announced the cancellation. "Therefore, I feel an obligation to withdraw this Symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership.”
Glass joins a growing list of artists who have protested the storied arts center by cancelling performances; the Martha Graham Dance Company, Issa Rae, and the producers of Hamilton have all cancelled performances. The Washington National Opera also decided to move its shows out of the center.
Their decisions follow President Trump's moves to politicize the Center and enshrine his influence in the longstanding arts organization. Last February, he dismissed several members of the board of trustees and named himself the Chair. Later, the new board (chaired by the President), voted to add the president’s name, rebranding it the Trump Kennedy Center.
Notably, The National Symphony Orchestra has decided to remain at the embattled Center.
“We are going to make this work,” Joan Bialek, the chair of the National Symphony Orchestra board, said last week, according to The New York Times. "Our biggest challenge now is to try to get more people back into the concert hall. We’re working hard on that.”
The cancelation of a major premiere by Glass is sure to make that task more difficult.
