Celebrated composer Philip Glass is removing the premiere of his new symphony from the Kennedy Center lineup.
In a post on Instagram Tuesday, Glass said the message of the symphony, entitled “Lincoln,” is in “direct conflict” with the values of the now-embattled Kennedy Center. The new work was scheduled to premiere June 12 and June 13 at the arts center, which the board has now renamed the Trump Kennedy Center, in a move that was met with outrage by Kennedy family members as well as the arts community.
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“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 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.”
Glass was awarded the 2015 National Medal of Arts by President Obama and was a Kennedy Center Honors award recipient in 2018.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Glass is the latest artist to withdraw from the Kennedy Center, following Trump’s takeover of the institution as chair and his ousting of many of the previous board members, whom he replaced with his own picks. Stephen Schwartz, Issa Rae, Renee Fleming, Hamilton and many more artists have canceled their engagements there after the leadership change and the renaming of the center. The Washington National Opera has also moved its shows out of the center.
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