The composer of the musical Wicked has said he will not appear at the Kennedy Center after its board voted to include US President Donald Trump’s name in the name of the venue.<\/p>\n
Stephen Schwartz said in a statement that appearing at the centre “has now become an ideological statement”, adding: “As long as that remains the case, I will not appear there.”<\/p>\n
But Richard Grenell, the center’s president, wrote on X<\/a> that the reports of him pulling out of a gala in May were “totally bogus” and that he had never been signed to attend.<\/p>\n The Oscar and Grammy-award winning composer is the latest artist to say they will no longer appear at the national cultural institution over the recent changes.<\/p>\n Schwartz told the BBC that at the end of 2024 he was asked by the artistic director of the Washington National Opera to participate in the May event with them.<\/p>\n He said that he had agreed, but that he had received little communication since last February and assumed it was no longer taking place.<\/p>\n The composer explained that, on Thursday, he was contacted by a reporter saying that the gala was announced on the Kennedy Center schedule and asking if he would be participating.<\/p>\n He had been listed on the centre’s website as appearing in the gala, but this was removed from the website on Friday afternoon, according to CNN<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The Kennedy Center was founded to be an apolitical home for free artistic expression for artists of all nationalities and ideologies,” Schwartz, 77, said.<\/p>\n “It is no longer apolitical, and appearing there has now become an ideological statement. As long as that remains the case, I will not appear there.”<\/p>\n But Mr Grennell hit back: “The Stephen Schwartz reports are totally bogus. Shame on the woke high school reporters repeating it.<\/p>\n “He was never signed and I’ve never had a single conversation on him since arriving.<\/p>\n “He himself said last February he hadn’t heard anything on it.”<\/p>\n