Overview
- The 19-time Grammy winner canceled his Feb. 19, 21 and 22 appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra, saying the venue has become “charged and political.”
- The Kennedy Center updated the concert listing to say Fleck withdrew for “personal issues,” and the program now features Copland’s Clarinet Concerto performed by the NSO principal clarinet.
- Fleck joins nearly a dozen recent cancellations that followed the board’s December vote to append President Trump’s name, including pullouts by Stephen Schwartz, The Cookers and Doug Varone and Dancers.
- Interim president Richard Grenell rebuked Fleck on social media, saying the Center wants performers who are “not political,” after previously threatening $1 million in damages against musician Chuck Redd for a separate cancellation.
- Legal questions persist over whether the renaming can proceed without Congress, as the institution faces strain reflected in record-low TV ratings for the Kennedy Center Honors and scrubbed New Year’s Eve shows.