“The values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony” says Glass.
Glass is only the latest of many artists who have cancelled their performances at the John F. Kennedy Center For The Arts, following Donald Trump’s take over of the venue’s programming, and renaming of the center as Trump-Kennedy.
Cancellations have come from legendary artists such as Stephen Schwartz, the Oscar-winning Wicked composer, and the change in leadership even prompted artistic advisor Ben Folds to resign.
The Symphony, No 15, commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and honoring Abraham Lincoln’s 1838 Lyceum Address, a speech condemning violence and tyranny, was set to premiere at the center in June, until Glass withdrew it in protest.
It is clear that it would be pretty ironic for the premiere of this symphony in particular to go ahead in the center under its current leadership.
Glass, known also for his work scoring films such as The Truman Show, is far too familiar with the very issues he is revolting against with this withdrawal.
We can all draw out the obvious similarities between the film and what Glass is inherently protesting – a manufacturing of reality and politicised media control, blurring the lines between performance and governance, all of it in an attempt to control ‘the narrative.’
Throughout his career, Glass has developed a long-standing relationship with the Kennedy center, but in the current political climate of the United States, it is clear that the composer has put his foot down.
