Trump says ‘dilapidated’ Kennedy Center will close for 2 years
Less than a year after taking over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and installing himself as president, President Trump announced that the venue would close for two years, beginning July 4, to undergo a major renovation.
“This landmark decision will take a tired, broken and dilapidated Center that has been in bad shape both financially and structurally for years and transform it into a World-Class Bastion of Arts, Music and Entertainment like never before,” Trump said. wrote on the social media website on Sunday.
The announcement follows a series of Trump-initiated changes that began in mid-December when the board decided to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center and added the president’s name above Kennedy’s on the building’s exterior.
Prominent performers soon began canceling their performances, including jazz drummer Chuck Redd, who withdrew from his Christmas Eve show, and jazz band the Cookers, who canceled two New Year’s Eve shows.
Other cancellations included banjo player Béla Fleck and “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz, who announced he no longer intended to host a gala at the center on May 15. Opera star Renée Fleming soon followed, but the reason given was scheduling conflicts.
Last month, there was also the stunning news that the board of directors of the Washington National Opera had approved its decision to leave the venue it had occupied since 1971.
Last week, the center’s calendar hit a new low as famed composer Philip Glass added his name to the growing list of protest cancellations. Glass sent a letter to the Kennedy Center board saying he would no longer stage the world premiere of his Symphony No. 15, “Lincoln,” at the center in June.
“Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the Kennedy Center’s values today are in direct conflict with the Symphony’s message. Therefore, I feel compelled to withdraw this Symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership,” Glass wrote in the letter shared with The Times.
The National Symphony Orchestra had commissioned the piece and seemed caught off guard by Glass’ announcement. Executive Director Jean Davidson said that the orchestra only learned of this news at the same time as the press.
Arts observers soon began to wonder about the orchestra’s future at the center. Would it break up like the Washington National Opera? Kennedy Center communications director Roma Daravi said that wasn’t possible.
“Our relationship is strong and we are having a great season here with the Maestro [Gianandrea Noseda] In his 10th year of leadership at NSO, Daravi wrote in an email, “The record-breaking success at the final Gala benefited NSO as it kicked off the new season. The event raised $3.45 million, setting an all-time fundraising record for the organization.”
Daravi’s email did not hint at the possibility of the center closing. Trump also didn’t appear to be leaning in that direction when he posted on his social media site early last week that he intended to rehabilitate the arts complex.
“People don’t realize that the Trump Kennedy Center has had huge budget deficits for years and that I, like everything else, am here just to save it and make it better than ever before, if possible!” Trump wrote.
In Sunday’s post announcing the impending closure of the Kennedy Center, Trump did not acknowledge the recent cancellations nor did he mention numerous reports of declining ticket sales at the venue. Just shutting it down, he said, would have extraordinary consequences.
“[I]If we do not close, the quality of Construction will not be as good and the time to completion will be much longer due to disruption to Spectators at many Events using the Facility. Temporary closure will produce much faster and higher quality results!” Trump wrote.
It is not yet clear whether the National Symphony Orchestra will perform elsewhere during the closure. The orchestra did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
