The Gay Men‘s Chorus of Washington DC is responding to the Kennedy Center‘s decision to cancel their performance with the National Symphony Orchestra following Donald Trump’s takeover of the institution and takedown of diversity initiatives. However, the Orchestra says it postponed the show before Trump’s leadership takeover.
“We are deeply disappointed with the news that our upcoming Pride performance with the National Symphony Orchestra has been canceled,” the chorus originally wrote in a statement Wednesday. “We believe in the power of music to educate and uplift, to foster love, understanding, and community, and we regret that this opportunity has been taken away.”
The group was set to perform a show titled A Peacock Among Pigeons in time for Pride month but will now play the number as part of WorldPride 2025, which is scheduled for DC in June. “While we are saddened by the decision, we are committed to this work and to our mission of raising our voices for equality for all,” the Chorus wrote. “We are grateful to those who have supported us, and we will continue to seek spaces where our voices, our stories, and our music can be heard.”
National Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Jean Davidson later clarified in a statement to NBC News that the decision not to feature Peacock Among Pigeons happened before Trump’s takeover of the Center and was “due to financial and scheduling factors.” Davidson explained that changing programs was common practice: “We chose to replace it with The Wizard of Oz, another suitable program for World PRIDE participation.”
Davidson explained that the organization was “unable to announce the replacement program until we had secured the rights to present it, but in the interest of transparency, we removed the original program from the website to prevent further ticket sales.”
The Gay Men’s Chorus performance is the latest to be canceled since President Trump changed its Board of Trustees and made himself the chairman of the organization this month. The decision has had wide repercussions industry-wide, when Ben Folds said he was stepping down from his role as artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra: “Given the developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO,” he wrote on social media. “Not for me.”
Renée Fleming and Shonda Rhimes also resigned from their post, while artists such as Issa Rae and Low Cut Connie pulled their performances and appearances from the venue following the news.
