Philip Glass is the latest musician to pull out of a scheduled concert at the Kennedy Center in wake of President Donald Trump’s takeover of the storied concert hall.
Glass with set to premiere his Symphony No. 15 with an orchestra at the Kennedy Center in June, but on Jan. 27 he announced that he didn’t want his symphony, inspired by President Abraham Lincoln’s 1838 Lyceum Address, performed at the hall in a letter he shared on his official Instagram account.
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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,” he wrote. “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.”
The announcement was applauded by a few other notable artists in the comments.
“Thank you. Musicians and composers doing civic duty. This is where we are, people. All hands on deck. ??,” wrote indie rock musician Amanda Palmer.
“RIGHT ON,” added singer Cat Power.
Actress Zoe Saldaña weighed in with a row of clapping hands emojis.
Fans also applauded the move. “Thank you, maestro. This is proof of your artistic and moral integrity. ❤️,” one wrote.
Not all the comments were positive. “You're hurting the NSO. You're hurting its patrons. It's not a well-thought-out move,” one wrote, referring to the National Symphony Orchestra.
Others responded to that take with their own view of the situation. “The NSO can't have it both ways. You either stand up to fascism or you are complicit with fascism. There is no grey area,” one fan responded.
View this post on InstagramGlass was originally commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra to compose the work honoring Lincoln for the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Center in 2022, but he missed the deadline, according to The New York Times.
The 88-year-old composer, who received a Kennedy Center Honors award in 2018, is the latest artist to pull out of a schedule performance at the Kennedy Center after Trump installed his hand-picked staff to run the center and later added his name to the hall.
Other musicians who have canceled dates include former J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf, Isa Rae and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who scrapped an engagement of his acclaimed musical Hamilton at the venue that was to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Related: ‘80s Rock Legend Says Canceling Kennedy Center Gig Was ‘a Very Easy Decision to Make’
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