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Philip Glass Pulls Symphony Premiere from Kennedy Center
The composer Philip Glass announced on Tuesday that he will withdraw the world premiere of his Symphony No. 15 "Lincoln" next summer from the Kennedy Center, due to ongoing concerns about the institution's mission and values.
Composer Philip Glass at a concert and a premiere of a new piano piece in Aarhus Denmark 2017. Photo by Hreinn Gudlaugsson, Creative Commons International license.
Glass's Symphony No. 15 was scheduled (and at this point still is) to be performed June 12-13 by conductor Karen Kamensek and the National Symphony Orchestra, which co-commissioned the symphony with the Kennedy Center. The concert program also lists Gershwin's "An American in Paris" and violinist Johan Dalene performing the Barber Violin Concerto.
"After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw my Symphony No. 15 ‘Lincoln’ from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts," Glass wrote in a statement on various social media, including his Facebook page. "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, who turns 89 on Saturday, was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2018.
Glass is the most recent of many artists who have canceled shows and appearances at the Kennedy Center, which has been embroiled in controversy since Donald Trump took over as chairman of its board in February 2025, ousting Democratic board members, purging much of its professional staff and canceling certain already-scheduled events for political reasons. In December, Trump-appointed members of the board voted to rename the center the ""The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," or the "Trump Kennedy Center."
The result has been a rash of boycotts and cancellations over the last year, by both visiting artists and longtime tenants of the venue. Some of them include withdrawals by Lin-Manuel Miranda and his musical "Hamilton," Issa Rae, Rhiannon Giddens, Stephen Schwartz, Béla Fleck, The Martha Graham Dance Company, the Brentano Quartet, Vocal Arts DC, and Renée Fleming. The Washington National Opera announced in early January that it will leave the Kennedy Center, its home since 1971.
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