Overview
- Stephen Schwartz said he will not host the Washington National Opera Gala on May 16, writing that the center no longer feels like an apolitical home for free artistic expression.
- Brooklyn trumpeter Wayne Tucker canceled his Jan. 22 concert with The Bad Mothas, saying the controversy risked adding friction for audiences.
- Other pullouts include jazz drummer Chuck Redd, Doug Varone and Dancers, and the all-star ensemble The Cookers, with earlier cancellations by the Hamilton producers and actor Issa Rae.
- After President Donald Trump ousted the prior board and named himself chairman earlier this year, the new trustees voted unanimously in December to append his name to the venue, despite federal law that prohibits placing another person’s name on the building’s exterior.
- Interim president Richard Grenell denounced the cancellations and, after Redd withdrew, threatened to seek $1 million in damages while calling the move a political stunt.