Kennedy Center Christmas Eve Concert Canceled After Name Change
A planned Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center, a holiday tradition dating back more than 20 years, has been canceled in response to the White House’s decision to add President Trump’s name to the facility. The show’s host, musician Chuck Redd, announced the cancellation, citing the name change as the reason for his decision.
The Kennedy Center’s facade now reads “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” following the White House’s announcement last week. This move has sparked controversy, with scholars arguing that it violates the law. The law explicitly prohibits the board of trustees from making the center into a memorial to anyone else, and from putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior.
Background and Controversy
President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, and Congress passed a law the following year naming the center as a living memorial to him. Kennedy’s niece, Kerry Kennedy, has vowed to remove Trump’s name from the building once he leaves office. Former House historian Ray Smock is among those who say any changes would have to be approved by Congress.
Trump, a Republican, has been deeply involved with the center named for an iconic Democrat after mostly ignoring it during his first term. He has forced out its leadership, overhauled the board, and hosted this year’s Kennedy Center honors, breaking a long tradition of presidents mostly serving as spectators. The changes at the Kennedy Center are part of the president’s larger mission to fight “woke” culture at federal cultural institutions.
Artistic Backlash
Numerous artists have called off Kennedy Center performances since Trump returned to office, including Issa Rae and Peter Wolf. Lin-Manuel Miranda canceled a planned production of “Hamilton.” The cancellation of the Christmas Eve jazz concert is the latest in a series of artistic backlashes against the Kennedy Center’s name change.
Chuck Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player who has toured with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Ray Brown, has been presiding over holiday “Jazz Jams” at the Kennedy Center since 2006. His decision to cancel the concert reflects the strong feelings of many in the artistic community about the name change.
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