Béla Fleck Cancels Kennedy Center Performances Amid Growing Political Tensions
A wave of artistic withdrawals continues at the Kennedy Center as celebrated banjo player Béla Fleck has canceled three scheduled performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, citing a politically charged atmosphere at the Washington, D.C. arts complex. The cancellations underscore a deepening crisis at the institution following significant leadership changes initiated earlier this year.
A Rising Tide of Cancellations
Fleck, a 18-time Grammy Award winner known for his collaborations with symphonies nationwide, announced his decision Tuesday evening via social media. He stated, “I have withdrawn from my upcoming performance with the NSO at The Kennedy Center. Performing there has become charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music. I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art.”
The National Symphony Orchestra has not publicly responded to Fleck’s decision. However, the Kennedy Center’s president, Richard Grenell, swiftly responded on X (formerly Twitter), accusing Fleck of succumbing to pressure from a “woke mob.” Grenell wrote, “You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties… The Trump Kennedy Center believes all people are welcome.” The Kennedy Center directed inquiries to Grenell’s post and related replies on X.
Fleck refuted Grenell’s claims in a statement emailed Wednesday morning, asserting, “I didn’t make it political, it already was— and there was no mob pressuring me. Music should be about expression, creativity and inclusivity. This current dialogue doesn’t seem to be about any of those things.”
Trump’s Overhaul of the Kennedy Center
The current turmoil stems from a sweeping overhaul of the Kennedy Center’s leadership initiated in February 2025. Former President Trump fired the center’s previous president, Deborah Rutter, and ousted board chair David Rubenstein, along with other board members appointed by President Biden. He then appointed a new board including second lady Usha Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and Fox News host Laura Ingraham, subsequently naming himself chair of the Kennedy Center.
Last month, the board voted to add President Trump’s name to the institution, a move currently being challenged by a lawsuit filed by Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.
A Growing Exodus of Artists
Fleck is the latest in a growing list of artists to withdraw from engagements at the Kennedy Center. On January 2, Stephen Schwartz, the composer and lyricist behind Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell, canceled plans to host a gala fundraiser for the Washington National Opera.
In December 2024, jazz drummer Chuck Redd canceled his annual Christmas Eve show, prompting the Kennedy Center to announce a $1 million lawsuit against him. The jazz septet The Cookers and the dance ensemble Doug Varone and Dancers followed suit, withdrawing from their New Year’s Eve and April performances, respectively.
These cancellations echo a similar wave of withdrawals that occurred almost a year ago, following Trump’s initial announcement of his plans to oversee the Kennedy Center. At that time, performances of Hamilton, a show by Rhiannon Giddens, and an appearance by Issa Rae were all canceled.
The escalating series of cancellations raises serious questions about the future of the Kennedy Center as a non-partisan space for artistic expression and underscores the increasingly fraught relationship between art and politics in the nation’s capital.
