Jazz band cancels Trump Kennedy Center performance with two days’ notice
Famous jazz band The Cookers canceled their New Year’s Eve performance at the newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center two days before the event.
The Washington National Opera will cancel performances at the former John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the first time since 1971 following a controversial venue name change.
The newly named Trump Kennedy Center for the Arts acknowledged that the “difficult decision” to part ways with the opera was due to a “challenged financial relationship.”
“We believe this is the best path forward for both organizations and allows us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center,” the center said in a statement shared with USA TODAY on Jan. 9.
The Washington National Opera’s Board of Directors approved its decision to separate from the Center as an “amicable early termination of the partnership agreement.” According to the New York Times. The organization will continue to operate as a completely independent nonprofit organization.
The American Guild of Musical Artists announced it would support the opera’s artists as its board severed ties with the Kennedy Center.
“AGMA will consider the impact of this decision, with consideration for their stability, working conditions and artistic livelihoods, and will support artists and companies as they navigate this transition,” the guild said in a statement.
Since the center’s name change, several musicians and creators have publicly canceled performances or severed ties with the center in protest.
On January 6, Nashville banjoy player Béla Fleck admitted that he would miss a scheduled performance when the National Symphony Orchestra “should be focused on the music” because it “has become paid and political.”
“Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz also recently said he would no longer hold galas at the historic venue. The musical theater composer and lyricist told Newsday he was invited to perform at the Washington National Opera’s 2026 gala at the center last February.
Trump Kennedy Center threatens to sue Chuck Redd over cancellation
In response to backlash over the name change, the Trump Kennedy Center threatened legal action against vibraphonist and drummer Chuck Redd, who canceled a Christmas Eve performance in protest.
In a Dec. 26 letter to Red obtained by USA TODAY, Grenell threatened to “seek $1 million in damages” for what Red called a “political stunt” that “caused us great harm.”
The jazz musician told The Associated Press and CNN on Dec. 24 that he canceled his appearance at the Christmas Eve Jazz Jam “when I saw the name change.”
“Your decision to withdraw at the last minute, in explicit response to the recent renaming of the center honoring President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to preserve this national treasure, is classic intolerance and is extremely costly for a nonprofit arts institution,” Grenell’s letter said.
In a Dec. 29 statement to USA TODAY, Dharavi doubled down on his criticism of Red, saying, “Artists who cancel shows at the Trump Kennedy Center because of political differences have no courage or principle. They are selfish and intolerant.”
Contributor: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
