Acclaimed Baltimore-born composer Philip Glass announced Jan. 27 that he is canceling the June premiere of his latest symphony from the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., pointing to the arts center’s values and leadership.
“After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw my Symphony No. 15 ‘Lincoln’ from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,” Glass announced in a statement posted to X. “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.”
The symphony was an anchor of the center’s yearlong celebration of “250 Years of Us.”
Glass, 88, is among a growing roster of artists and performers who have severed ties and canceled shows at the Kennedy Center since President Trump replaced its board and affixed his name to the building’s façade without Congressional approval.
In 2018, Glass was honored by the Kennedy Center along with pop idol Cher, singer Reba McEntire and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter for making “enduring and indelible marks on our culture,” the Kennedy Center stated. The four co-creators of the Broadway play “Hamilton,” including Lin-Manuel Miranda, also received awards.
Glass, who pioneered a new minimalist and repetitive form of classical music, is widely viewed as one of the 20th century’s most influential composers. Among other things, he has written operas, symphonies, pieces for musical theater and film scores, three of which were nominated for Academy Awards.
A 1954 graduate of Baltimore City College, Glass is the son of Jewish immigrant parents from Lithuania. His father, Benjamin Glass, owned a record store, and his mother, Ida, was a librarian.
Philip Glass, who is a second cousin of National Public Radio host Ira Glass, has called himself a “Jewish-Taoist-Hindu-Toltec-Buddhist.”
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