Philip Glass withdraws world premiere of his Lincoln symphony from Kennedy Center
Composer says values of Trump-dominated Kennedy Center ‘are in direct conflict’ with symphony’s messageCelebrated US composer Philip Glass has withdrawn the world premiere of his latest symphony at Washington DC’s John F Kennedy Center in protest of Donald Trump’s presidency.In a...
<p>Composer says values of Trump-dominated Kennedy Center ‘are in direct conflict’ with symphony’s message</p><p>Celebrated US composer <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/philip-glass">Philip Glass</a> has withdrawn the world premiere of his latest symphony at Washington DC’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/19/trump-kennedy-center-soul">John F Kennedy Center</a> in protest of Donald Trump’s presidency.</p><p>In a statement on Tuesday, the 88-year-old composer <a href="https://x.com/philipglass/status/2016179940815761860">said:</a> “After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw my Symphony No 15 ‘Lincoln’ from the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 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.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/27/philip-glass-withdraws-lincoln-symphony-kennedy-center">Continue reading...</a>
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