The National Symphony Orchestra will not perform at the Kennedy Center this upcoming season, breaking more than 55 years of tradition with the embattled performing arts center.
The announcement comes less than a week after the Kennedy Center’s board voted to inscribe President Donald Trump’s name into the storied building’s white marble facade — their second attempt to honor him by name — and proceed with a lengthy shutdown of the venue to accommodate an extensive $250 million renovation project.
The orchestra is performing at six different venues across Washington, Maryland and Virginia. The two venues in D.C. are Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University and Lincoln Theatre on U Street — with the Kennedy Center notably left off the stops for the symphony.
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National Symphony Orchestra Music director Gianandrea Noseda told The Washington Post in March that the upcoming season had been difficult to plan because of the changes at the Kennedy Center.
“I have to give credit to the people of the NSO who really tried to find a solution back in late February and March,” Noseda said. “We immediately moved very quickly to find alternative venues and we were in contact with more than the six where we will play. We always found open doors.”
The National Symphony Orchestra has performed a “full season of subscription concerts” since the Kennedy Center opened in 1971. The orchestra became an official artistic affiliate of the center in 1986.
The Kennedy Center has been at the center of controversy and legal battles in recent months, with Trump pushing for a two-year shutdown of the main building, which he’s called “broken, unsafe, and busted.”
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