Stephen Schwartz, the composer best known for the musical “Wicked,” has announced he will no longer appear at the Kennedy Center following its board’s decision to include former U.S. President Donald Trump’s name in the venue’s official title.
In a statement, Schwartz explained that performing at the center “has now become an ideological statement,” adding, “As long as that remains the case, I will not appear there.”
However, Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s president, stated on X (formerly Twitter) that reports of Schwartz withdrawing from a May gala were “totally bogus,” asserting that the composer was never formally scheduled to attend.
The Oscar and Grammy-winning composer joins a growing list of artists who have publicly stated they will no longer perform at the national cultural institution in response to the recent changes.
Schwartz told the BBC that in late 2024, the artistic director of the Washington National Opera invited him to participate in the May event.
He agreed, but stated that he had received minimal communication since last February and therefore assumed the performance was canceled.
The composer explained that on Thursday, a reporter contacted him to confirm his participation in the gala, which had been announced on the Kennedy Center schedule.
Schwartz had been listed on the center’s website as appearing in the gala, but the listing was removed on Friday afternoon, according to CNN.
“The Kennedy Center was founded to be an apolitical home for free artistic expression for artists of all nationalities and ideologies,” Schwartz, 77, 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.”
Grenell responded, stating: “The Stephen Schwartz reports are totally bogus. Shame on the woke high school reporters repeating it.”
“He was never signed and I’ve never had a single conversation on him since arriving.”
“He himself said last February he hadn’t heard anything on it.”
Two other musical acts canceled their appearances at the center earlier this week.
The Cookers, a veteran jazz band, canceled two New Year’s Eve shows. While the group did not mention Trump or the Kennedy Center in their statement, they said the decision had “come together very quickly.”
Doug Varone and Dancers also announced they would not perform two shows in April due to the name change, stating, “We can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.”
Grenell described the cancellations as “a form of derangement syndrome.”
Prior to these announcements, jazz percussionist Chuck Redd called off his annual Christmas Eve gig at the center, a tradition he had maintained since 2006, in protest of the name change.
Grenell dismissed the cancellation as a “political stunt” and threatened to seek $1m (£740,000) in damages.
The Kennedy Center’s board, which Trump filled with allies, voted in December to rename the institution the Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. New signage appeared on the building’s exterior the following day.
Some U.S. lawmakers and legal scholars have argued that, because the center was established by a 1964 law, Congress must approve any name change.
Members of President John F. Kennedy’s family have also denounced the move. The center was named in Kennedy’s memory shortly after his assassination.
Joe Kennedy III, a former U.S. House of Representatives member and grandnephew of the late president, stated that the venue was “a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law.”
“It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says,” he added.
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