Philip Glass withdraws world premiere of his Lincoln symphony from Kennedy Center

Philip Glass, the celebrated US composer, has withdrawn the world premiere of his latest symphony at Washington DC’s John F Kennedy Center in protest of Donald Trump’s presidency.In a statement on Tuesday, the 88-year-old composer said: “After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw my Symphony No 15 ‘Lincoln’ from the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Symphony No 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the symphony.“Therefore, I feel an obligation to withdraw this symphony premiere from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership.”Glass’s world premiere was scheduled to take place at the venue on 12 and 13 June.The decision by Glass, who was an award recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018, comes amid broader turmoil at the Kennedy Center following a leadership overhaul initiated by Trump after his second presidency began in early 2025. He installed a new board of trustees at the center and has pursued controversial changes to the institution’s name and mission.In December, the president changed the world renowned venue’s name to the “Trump-Kennedy Center”. He made that switch amid a slew of cancellations from musical artists who have voiced their opposition towards the administration’s policies.Critics argue that the Trump administration’s attack on what it considers to be “woke” – or overly leftist – culture politicizes the arts and alienates performers. Rhode Island US senator Sheldon Whitehouse, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center governing board, told the Guardian: “When the brigands took the ship, their first instinct was to loot it for their own benefit and hire their friends.”The Guardian has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment.The Trump administration has spent much of January grappling with public backlash over federal agents’ fatally shooting US citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis during the White House’s brutal mass deportation campaign.