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Stephen Schwartz, the composer of “Wicked,” announced on Friday that he would no longer host a long-planned gala at the Kennedy Center, claiming that the center “no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be.”
Schwartz, who also composed popular musicals “Pippin” and “Godspell,” said in an emailed statement to Newsday that appearing at the Center would be an “ideological statement.”
“I was part of the original event that opened the Kennedy Center, the Bernstein Mass. The Kennedy Center was founded to be an apolitical home for artists of all nationalities and all ideologies,” he said. “It is no longer apolitical, and appearing there has become an ideological statement. As long as that remains the case, I will not appear there.”
The composer clarified that he had been invited to host the event by Washington National Opera artistic director Francesca Zambello long before Trump took steps to bring the center under his control.
“But I’ve heard nothing about it since February 2025, so I have assumed it’s no longer happening,” Schwartz said. “I can’t imagine Francesca continuing under the current circumstances. If it is happening, of course I will not be part of it.”
Zambello confirmed in an interview with The New York Times on Friday that Mr. Schwartz had been scheduled to appear as a host of the opera’s gala on May 16. She declined further comment.
The Center’s vice president for public relations Roma Daravi said in a statement that Schwartz “was never discussed nor confirmed and never had a contract by current Trump Kennedy Center leadership.” She did not respond to a question from The Hill about whether the composer agreed to appear under the Center’s previous leadership.
Richard Grenell, the Center’s president, posted a statement on X claiming that “the Stephen Schwartz reports are totally bogus.” Grenell also accused major news organizations of actively encouraging artists to boycott performances earlier this week.
Despite Grenell’s claims, the Center promoted Schwartz’s involvement in the gala on its website since last spring, though his name did not appear on the website on Friday. Numerous screenshots of the website show that up until some point on Friday, the event still appeared on the website with the line: “Acclaimed musical theater lyricist and composer Stephen Schwartz curates and hosts for one night only.”
Schwartz’s statement is the latest in a slew of scandals surrounding The Kennedy Center. Trump appointed himself as chair of the board for the Kennedy Center shortly after taking office in January, adding several of his allies to the board as well.
Earlier this month, the board voted to rename the center after Trump, sparking outrage from members of the Kennedy family and other critics of the president– anger that was exacerbated by the speed with which Trump’s name was added to the building’s wall.
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) sued the president and her fellow Kennedy Center board members over the name change, alleging she was not allowed to weigh in on the decision.
These decisions have led to a multitude of artists refusing to appear at the Center. Annual Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve concerts were both canceled after the musicians and hosts withdrew. Planned performances of Hamilton, a concert by Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, and a show by comedian Issa Rae have also been scratched.
The post Wicked Composer Pulls Out Of Hosting Kennedy Center Gala: ‘There’s No Way I Would Set Foot In It Now’ first appeared on Mediaite.
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