SOUR NOTE

Kennedy Center Scrambles After Grammy Winner Cancels Appearances

The world-renowned star has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards and has taken home five.

The Kennedy Center is scrambling to find a replacement for a pair of shows after the Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming canceled her appearances.

Those cancellations make the 66-year-old Fleming the latest to withdraw from performances at the center after President Donald Trump overhauled its leadership structure, including installing himself as chair.

Fleming was among the “We Are One” performers at former President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009. She performed along with Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Usher, Bruce Springsteen, and Garth Brooks, among others.

She was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Obama during a White House East Room ceremony in 2013.

Obama said at the time that Fleming was “the people’s diva” and said she has “captivated audiences around the world with an adventurous repertoire spanning opera and the classical tradition to jazz and contemporary pop.”

The Pennsylvania-born artist resigned as Artistic Advisor at Large to the Center last year in protest of Trump’s purge of existing leadership and the installation of his own board of close allies, which includes White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and second lady Usha Vance.

Fleming was slated to appear alongside conductor James Gaffigan and the National Symphony Orchestra for two performances in May.

The center did not respond to a request for comment, but claimed on its website that the cancellations were due to “a scheduling conflict.”

It vowed to find a replacement for Fleming, who has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards and has won five. Her most recent Grammy was awarded to her in February 2023.

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“A new soloist and repertoire will be announced at a later date, and the remainder of the program remains unchanged,” the Kennedy Center wrote.

Others to pull out of events at the Kennedy Center, which the president tries to call the “Trump-Kennedy Center” despite such a change not being approved by Congress, include Lin-Manuel Miranda, who called off a revival of Hamilton originally scheduled for this spring.

Others to cancel shows include Bela Fleck, Issa Rae, and the Philadelphia rock band Low Cut Connie. Even the Washington National Opera, which performed at the Kennedy Center several times a year since 1971, severed its collaboration with the venue in MAGA 2.0.

Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, 75, an ex officio trustee of the Kennedy Center, has sued the Trump administration in an attempt to force the removal of his name from the performing arts venue’s facade.

“This entire process has been a complete disgrace to this cherished institution and the people it serves,” Beatty said in a statement. “These unlawful actions must be blocked before any further damage is done.”

Such changes may have played a role in the Kennedy Center Honors—aired by CBS—pulling in 25 percent fewer viewers on December 23 than the 2024 edition, in the waning days of the Biden administration.

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Josh FialloBreaking News Reporter

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