MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
After President Trump's handpicked board added his name to the Kennedy Center, some artists canceled their scheduled performances there. That put a damper on Christmas Eve celebrations last week, and now tonight's New Year's Eve performances have also been canceled. NPR's Andrew Limbong reports.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
ANDREW LIMBONG, BYLINE: The jazz band The Cookers was all set to play two performances tonight at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater until they announced on Monday they were canceling their appearance. The statement on their website didn't explicitly mention President Trump adding his name to the Kennedy Center as a reason, but they did write, quote, "jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom - freedom of thought, of expression and of the full human voice."
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
LIMBONG: The Cookers weren't alone. Just last week, musician Chuck Redd canceled his annual Christmas Eve jazz concert. The dance company Doug Varone and Dancers also canceled their upcoming April dates. In response to the string of cancellations, the center's president, Richard Grenell, sent a statement calling the performers far-left political activists rather than artists, adding that boycotting the Trump Kennedy Center is a, quote, "form of derangement syndrome."
Last week, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Democrat from Ohio and ex officio board member, filed a lawsuit against President Trump over the Kennedy Center name change, calling it illegal. Here's Betty's lawyer, Norm Eisen, laying out the argument in an NPR interview.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
NORM EISEN: This case is very clear-cut. Congress has said it is to be called the Kennedy Center and only the Kennedy Center.
LIMBONG: Overall, though, the artists canceling seem to be in the minority. There are still a number of performances going into the new year, including a production of Monty Python's "Spamalot," dance classes for people with Parkinson's disease and a celebration of John Coltrane's 100th birthday.
Andrew Limbong, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
