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Schwartz refuses Kennedy Center appearances
Updated 4 January 2026 - Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Stephen Schwartz announced he will no longer perform at the Kennedy Center after its board voted to include former U.S. President Donald Trump's name in the venue's official title.
Artist's statement
Schwartz, 77, best known for the musical Wicked, said appearing at the center would now carry an ideological meaning he cannot endorse. "The Kennedy Center was founded to be an apolitical home for free artistic expression for artists of all nationalities and ideologies," he stated. "It is no longer apolitical, and appearing there has now become an ideological statement. As long as that remains the case, I will not appear there."
Gala confusion
Schwartz revealed he had initially agreed to participate in a May gala with the Washington National Opera after its artistic director invited him in late 2024. However, communication ceased after February 2025, leading him to assume the event was canceled. On Thursday, a reporter contacted him after noticing the gala listed on the Kennedy Center's schedule, prompting his public withdrawal.
By Friday afternoon, his name had been removed from the center's website, CNN reported.
Kennedy Center's response
Richard Grenell, the center's president, dismissed reports of Schwartz's withdrawal as "totally bogus" on X (formerly Twitter). "He was never signed and I've never had a single conversation with him since arriving," Grenell wrote, adding that Schwartz himself had said in February he had not heard about the event since then.
Grenell also criticized other artists who canceled performances, calling their decisions "a form of derangement syndrome." Earlier this week, jazz ensemble The Cookers canceled two New Year's Eve shows without explicitly citing the name change, while dance company Doug Varone and Dancers withdrew from April performances, stating they could no longer "permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution."
Legal and political backlash
The Kennedy Center's board, stacked with Trump allies, voted in December to rename the venue the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. New signage was installed the following day.
Legal scholars and lawmakers argue the change violates a 1964 federal law designating the center's name, which would require congressional approval. Members of President John F. Kennedy's family have condemned the move. Joe Kennedy III, a former U.S. representative and the late president's grandnephew, called the center "a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law," adding, "It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial."
Other cancellations
Jazz percussionist Chuck Redd canceled his annual Christmas Eve performance at the center, a tradition since 2006, over the name change. Grenell labeled the cancellation a "political stunt" and threatened to seek $1 million (£740,000) in damages.
