"All of these cancelations and organizational changes come from, you guessed it, Donald Trump himself. In early 2025, Trump not only ousted the board (in what some news outlets called a "purge"), but also named himself the Kennedy Center chairman. Then, toward the end of last year, he and his board of "hand-selected" members changed the name to the Trump-Kennedy Memorial Center."
"As mentioned, Fleming joins quite the lengthy list of talents who have canceled gigs or otherwise walked away from obligations with the Kennedy Center. That includes Béla Fleck, The Cookers, a touring production of Hamilton, Rhiannon Giddens, and the Washington National Opera, which ended a 55-year association. Meanwhile, Ben Folds departed as another artistic adviser, and Shonda Rhimes resigned from the board of trustees."
Renée Fleming canceled two performances scheduled for May 29 and 30 at the Kennedy Center, citing a "scheduling conflict." Conductor James Gaffigan and the National Symphony Orchestra remain on the bill, with a new soloist and repertoire to be announced. Fleming resigned as the Kennedy Center's Artistic Advisor-at-Large in 2025 after holding the role since 2016, following large-scale "shakeups" that included the departures of President Deborah Rutter and Chair David Rubenstein. In early 2025 Donald Trump ousted the board, named himself chairman, and the board later renamed the venue the Trump-Kennedy Memorial Center. Numerous artists and organizations have canceled or severed ties.
Read at Consequence
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