Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz has cancelled his Kennedy Center appearance after the performing arts centre was renamed to honour US President Donald Trump.

The 77-year-old Oscar and Grammy-award-winning composer is the latest artist to drop out of playing at the Kennedy Center.  

In December, Kennedy Center’s board “unanimously” voted to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural centre of the US.

However, upon the announcement, one board member challenged the decision. Democrat Representative Joyce Beatty claimed she was muted on the call and unable to vote against the renaming.

Schwartz was set to appear in a gala with the Washington National Opera in May. However, CNN reported that the event and tickets were removed from the website on Friday (2 January).

In a statement about his cancelled appearance, Schwartz said: “The Kennedy Center was founded to be an apolitical home for artists of all nationalities and all ideologies.

“It is no longer apolitical, and appearing there has become an ideological statement. As long as that remains the case, I will not appear there.”

Furthermore, Schwartz told the BBC that, at the end of 2024, the artistic director of the Washington National Opera asked him to participate in the event.

‘I will not appear there’

However, he added that he had received little communication since last February. So, he assumed the event was no longer taking place. Then he was approached by a reporter after the gala was announced, prompting him to become aware of his apparent participation.

Schwartz joins a growing list of artists cancelling their shows, including the Hamilton musical production, actor Issa Rae and veteran jazz band The Cookers. Also, musician Chuck Redd, who has hosted a Christmas performance since 2006, called off his show.

Kennedy Center president and Trump ally Richard Grenell took to X to address the programming confusion. However, he stated that reports about Schwartz’s performance were “totally bogus”.

Also, Grenell continued: “He was never signed and I’ve never had a single conversation on him since arriving. He himself said last February he hadn’t heard anything on it.”

The Kennedy Center has been embroiled in growing controversy. Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors 2025 where he claimed he “turned down plenty” of “too woke” nominees.

Also, ticket sales at the Kennedy Center have plummeted. According to a report from The Washington Post, sales for orchestra, theatre and dance performances are the worst they’ve been since the pandemic.

The report outlines that over 43 per cent of seats went unsold between September 3 and October 19, compared to only 7 per cent during the same period in 2024.

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