More musicians cancel Kennedy Center concerts after Trump’s name added to building

More musicians have canceled upcoming concerts at the Kennedy Center after its board voted to rename the performing arts venue to include President Donald Trump’s name.

Performances canceled to date include shows previously promoted for Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and January 14.

The Cookers, a jazz group scheduled to perform Wednesday night, did not cite a specific reason in announcing their decision, but their statement alluded to politics.

“Jazz was born out of struggle and a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, expression, and the full human voice. Some of us have been making this music for many decades, and that history still shapes us,” the statement read. “We hope this moment allows space for reflection and not resentment.”

Kristy Lee, who was scheduled to perform on January 14, announced her cancellation on Instagram, saying that canceling shows hurt, “but losing my integrity would cost me more than any paycheck.”

“When American history starts to be treated as something that you can ban, erase, rename or rebrand for someone else’s ego, I can’t stand on that stage and sleep all night,” said Lee, who describes herself as “just a folk singer from Alabama.”

She said that instead of playing at the Kennedy Center next month, she will play a live show from home.

In a separate statement on his website, Lee said the cancellation was due to concerns about the “institutional integrity” of the center. She said she “believes that publicly funded spaces must remain free from political capture, self-promotion or ideological pressure.”

“This decision is not directed at the Center’s dedicated staff, artists, or patrons, whose work and commitment to the arts remains deeply respected. Rather, it is a statement of defense of the Center’s founding purpose and the ethical responsibility shared by the artists who grace its stage,” the statement read.

The Kennedy Center, Lee and The Cookers did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday evening.

Cookers drummer Billy Hart told The New York Times, which first reported the recent cancellations, that the name change “obviously” played a role in their decision to cancel their concert.

The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted this month to change the institution’s name. The next day, Trump’s name was plastered on the building’s facade, drawing criticism from lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family, who said the institution was created by Congress to commemorate President John F. Kennedy and could not be renamed without congressional approval.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio member of the board, sued the Trump administration last week over the name change, calling it a “blatant violation of the rule of law.”

One of the first musicians to cancel a performance following the board’s vote was jazz musician Chuck Redd, who canceled his Christmas Eve concert at the center, where he had chaired the annual event for nearly 20 years. Redd told The Associated Press he was canceling the concert because of the name change.

In a letter to Redd, which the Kennedy Center shared with NBC News, the center’s president, Richard Grenell, threatened to sue him for $1 million, calling his decision to withdraw a “political stunt.”

In a statement Saturday, Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi said, “Any artist who cancels their show at the Trump Kennedy Center because of political differences is neither courageous nor principled: They are selfish, intolerant, and have failed to fulfill the fundamental duty of a public artist: to perform for all.”

Trump has taken numerous steps to assert more control over the center, such as replacing the board with a hand-picked group of members who appointed him president. He also changed the center’s programming, including removing Pride events.

Several shows and artists have canceled events at the center since Trump’s takeover began, including the musical “Hamilton” and Issa Rae.