WASHINGTON, December 26, 2024 – A decades-long Christmas eve tradition at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been thrown into disarray after musician Chuck Redd cancelled a performance in protest of the cultural center’s recent renaming as the Trump Kennedy center. The Kennedy Center’s president, Richard Grenell, has threatened to seek $1 million in damages from Redd, according to reports.
Jazz Host Cancels Performance Amid naming Controversy
The annual “Jazz Jam” performance, a staple of the holiday season in the nation’s capital, was called off after Redd learned of the name change.
- Cancellation Trigger: Redd cancelled his concert after the Kennedy Center website and building signage were updated with the new name.
- Legal Threat: kennedy Center president Richard Grenell is threatening a $1 million lawsuit against Redd.
- Broader Context: The move is part of a broader pattern of Trump’s influence over the cultural institution.
Redd, a jazz drummer and vibraphonist, explained his decision in an email to the Associated Press on Wednesday, December 24. “When I saw the name change on the kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” he wrote.
redd is well-known in the Pacific Northwest as the music director for the annual Oregon Festival of American music at The John G.Shedd Institute, were he is scheduled to host a series of winter season OFAM concerts next month.
The Associated Press reported friday that Grenell’s letter to Redd characterized the cancellation as a “political stunt.”
A pattern of Change at the Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center has become a focal point during Trump’s second term.Last Friday,December 19,the White House announced the renaming of the center,a move that followed significant personnel changes earlier in the year.
In February, Trump removed 18 board members appointed by former President Joe Biden and assumed the role of chair after the dismissal of longtime president Deborah F. Rutter. Trump had previously criticized the center’s programming and articulated a vision for a “GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture,” selecting Grenell, his former ambassador to Germany, to lead the institution.
The changes have prompted a wave of cancellations from artists, including musician Rhiannon Giddens, actress, writer, and comedian Issa Rae in February, and folk singer Kristy Lee this week, who protested the Trump branding.
Redd’s cancellation adds to the growing backlash against the changes.A lawsuit challenging the name change has also been filed by Rep. Joyce beatty of Ohio, a Democratic lawmaker on the center’s board. Beatty argues that renaming the center without an act of Congress violates the original 1964 John F. Kennedy Center Act, which established the center as a “living memorial” to the late President John F. Kennedy.
Redd did not respond to a request for comment.
