Singer-musician Rhiannon Giddens calls off Kennedy Center show, citing Trump takeover
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/02/2025 (394 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
NEW YORK (AP) — Award-winning singer-musician Rhiannon Giddens has become the latest artist to call off an appearance at the Kennedy Center, which has been in upheaval since President Donald Trump forced out the center’s leadership and was elected chair of the board of trustees.
Trump’s takeover of the center is part of his broad campaign against “woke” culture.
“I have decided to cancel my show at The Kennedy Center on May 11, 2025 and move it to The Anthem,” she wrote on social media, referring to a separate Washington, D.C. venue. “The Kennedy Center show was booked long before the current administration decided to take over this previously bipartisan institution.”
Giddens is an eclectic roots music performer known for co-founding the Carolina Chocolate Drops and for such collaborations with Francesco Turrisi as the Grammy winning “They’re Calling Me Home.” In 2022, she helped write the Pulitzer Prize winning opera “Omar.” She is also a recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” grant.
Actor Issa Rae, author Louise Penny and the rock band Low Cut Connie also have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center events. Singer-songwriter Victoria Clark went ahead with her Feb. 15 show, but on stage wore a T-shirt reading “ANTI TRUMP AF.”
Supported by government money and private donations and attracting millions of visitors each year, the Kennedy Center is a 100-foot high complex featuring a concert hall, opera house and theater, along with a lecture hall, meeting spaces and a “Millennium Stage” that has been the site for free shows.
Until Trump in his first term, presidents have routinely attended the honors ceremony, even in the presence of artists who disagreed with them politically.