Ben Folds, the former artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra, which was housed at the Kennedy Center, spoke out against Trump’s takeover of the institution, saying that he feared political retribution for artists performing at the center.
“With the new partisan toxic environment under the current administration, I could not trust that artists I booked at the Kennedy Center would be safe from retribution if they said or sung something that might displease the president or his political lackeys who now controlled the Center,” Folds said. “I could not perform my job or the mission I was brought on to do, and for this reason, with great sadness, I had no choice but to resign.”
“These days, if an artist agrees to perform at the Kennedy Center, they risk being seen as explicitly endorsing the Trump administration and all of its policies. Declining an invitation to perform at the Kennedy Center will have an equal and opposite political effect. There may be certain artists who will thrive in this environment. Comedians come to mind, but most want nothing to do with it, and will choose to create and perform their art elsewhere, and they are, and audiences are following,” he continued.
