"Composer Philip Glass canceled the debut of his new symphony at the Trump-Kennedy Center, saying on Tuesday that the values of President Donald Trump are in direct conflict with his symphony based on Abraham Lincoln. Glass originally aimed for his new Symphony No. 15 to premiere in 2022 as a way to honor the Kennedy Center's 50th anniversary. The New York Times reported he missed that deadline and had opted to debut the symphony this June one month before the USA celebrates its 250th anniversary."
""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 said. "Therefore, I feel an obligation to withdraw this Symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership." His cancelation comes as the recently-renamed performing arts center has dealt with several other artists scrapping performances because of their disdain for the president."
""When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert," Chuck Redd who had hosted the Jazz Jams since 2006 said. Other examples include the musical Hamilton aborting its 2025 run at the center, and actor Issa Rae canceling her sold-out show last year. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that attendance is down about 50 percent compared with the season before President Trump returned to office, but the annual fund-raising gala this year brought in about $3.5 million, a record."
Composer Philip Glass withdrew the planned Kennedy Center premiere of Symphony No. 15, citing a conflict between the center's current leadership's values and the symphony's message honoring Abraham Lincoln. The work was intended for a 2022 premiere to mark the center's 50th anniversary but missed that deadline and was rescheduled for June ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary. Multiple artists have canceled performances since the center's renaming, including a long-running Christmas Eve jazz concert, a planned Hamilton run, and a sold-out show by Issa Rae. Attendance has fallen about 50 percent while the annual gala raised a record $3.5 million.
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