Renowned American composer and pianist Philip Glass has called off the world premiere of his symphony about Abraham Lincoln at the Kennedy Center, in protest of Donald Trump.
Trump has placed the institution at the heart of his campaign against what he refers to as “woke” culture and in December, changed the world renowned venue’s name to the “Trump-Kennedy Center”.
Glass' Symphony No. 15, “Lincoln,” was scheduled to take place on 12 and 13 June.
"After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw my Symphony No. 15 'Lincoln' from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts," Glass wrote in a statement shared on social media. "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. Therefore, I feel an obligation to withdraw this Symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership."
Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, responded in a statement: “We have no place for politics in the arts, and those calling for boycotts based on politics are making the wrong decision.”
Glass, who is considered as the greatest living US composer, was a Kennedy Center honoree in 2018 and was awarded a National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2010.
The 88-year-old artist adds his name to a growing list of performers who are cancelling their works in the wake of Trump ousting the previous Kennedy Center leadership. The musical Hamilton, Issa Rae, Renee Fleming, Béla Fleck, Sonia De Los Santos, Chuck Redd, The Brentano Quartet, The Martha Graham Dance Company and The Washington National Opera are among the artists and groups pulling their talents from the threatened arts institution.
Kennedy Center executive director Richard Grenell responded to the cancellations by writing on social media – directed at Béla Fleck: "You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties.”
He added: “This mob pressuring you will never be happy until you only play for Democrats. The Trump Kennedy Center believes all people are welcome - Democrats and Republicans and people uninterested in politics. We want performers who aren't political - who simply love entertaining everyone regardless of who they voted for."
