More artists canceled their upcoming appearances at the Kennedy Center after the panel voted to change the name A performing arts venue that will include the name of President Donald Trump.
Performances canceled so far include shows previously advertised for Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, January 14 and April 24 and 25.
Jazz group The Cookers, scheduled to perform on Tuesday night, did not give a specific reason for their decision, but their statement hinted at politics.
“Jazz was born out of struggle and a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, expression, and the full human voice. Some of us have been making this music for decades, and that history is still shaping us.” the statement was read. “We hope this moment will leave room for reflection, not resentment.”
Christy Lee, who is scheduled to perform on January 14th announced the cancellation on Instagramindicating that the cancellation was painful, saying, “but the loss of integrity will cost me more than any salary.”
Lee, who describes himself as “just a folk singer from Alabama,” said, “I started treating American history like something you could ban, delete, rename, or rebrand for someone else’s ego.
He said he’ll be playing a live show from his home next month instead of playing the Kennedy Center.
In a separate place statement on their websiteLee said the cancellation was due to concerns about the center’s “institutional integrity.” He said he “believes that publicly funded spaces should be free from political tyranny, self-promotion, or ideological pressure.”
“This decision is not aimed at the dedicated staff, artists or patrons of the Center, whose work and commitment to the arts is deeply respected, but is a statement defending the founding purpose of the Center and the ethical responsibility shared by the artists who grace its stage,” the statement reads.
Reached for comment, her representative, Tauna Pierce, confirmed that the artist’s decision to withdraw was in response to the renaming of the center after Trump.
“Christie’s decision to withdraw was motivated by concern about how the legacy of the Kennedy Center would be altered. There was a real cost to canceling the show, but she felt that compromising its integrity would cost more.”
Doug Varone and Dancers announced Monday that they will be canceling their April 24-25 performance due to a name change.
“With Donald J. Trump’s recent move to rename the Center, we can no longer allow ourselves, nor require our audience to step inside this once great institution.” He said on Instagram.
Cookers drummer Billy Hart, He told “The New York Times”.The first to report the recent cancellations said that the name change “obviously” played a role in the decision to cancel their concerts.
The chefs did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday night about the decision to cancel.
Trump among many social media posts Tuesday afternoon shared three articles on the addition of his name to the Kennedy Center at Truth Social. He didn’t care about the recent cancellations.
The Kennedy Center board voted this month to rename the institution. The following day, Trump’s name emblazoned on the building’s facade drew criticism from lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family, who said the building was created by Congress to commemorate President John F. Kennedy and could not be renamed without congressional approval.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio member of the board, He sued the Trump administration over the name change, calling it a “gross violation of the rule of law” last week.
One of the first musicians to cancel after the board’s vote was jazz musician Chuck Redd, who canceled a Christmas Eve concert at the center, where he has headlined the annual event for nearly 20 years. Redd This was reported by the Associated Press agency said that he canceled the concert as a result of the name change.
In a letter to Redd shared by the Kennedy Center with NBC News, Grenell said, sue him for $1 million in damagescalled the decision to withdraw a “political ploy”.
Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi said in a statement Saturday, “Any artist who cancels a show at Trump’s Kennedy Center because of political differences is not courageous or principled — they are selfish, intolerant, and have failed in the primary duty of a public artist: to perform for all people.”
Trump has taken a number of steps to ensure more control over the center, such as replacing the board with an elected set of members. he called it his seat. He also changed the programming at the center Deleting Pride events.
Since Trump’s inauguration, many shows and performers have canceled events at the center, including the musical Hamilton and Jesus Rae.
