It’s a resounding slap in the face. Philip Glass – who as a composer is not just anyone, not even at the Washingtoner Kennedy Center – withdraws his new “Symphony No. 15”. The musical piece, commissioned by the Kennedy Center itself six years ago and described by Philip Glass as a “portrait of Abraham Lincoln,” was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Kennedy Center in mid-June this year. Glass has now banned this.
In a letter to the Center, which was also released to the media, he writes that “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the symphony.” And further: “Therefore, I feel it is necessary to withdraw the premiere of the symphony from the Kennedy Center under its current leadership.”
There is a hail of cancellations at the Kennedy Center in protest
The background: After his second election as US President, Donald Trump appointed himself chairman of the center’s board. At the end of 2025, the board decided to change the name of the renowned and influential cultural organization to “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts”.
There is strong resistance to this in the US cultural scene. There is a hail of cancellations from artists who were supposed to perform there, the Washington National Opera has withdrawn from this venue, and at the same time the public interest in the events is loud New York Times dropped by 50 percent. And now the rejection one of the most famous living composers in the world.
The symbolic impact of Glass’s rejection in particular is considerable. The new symphony is based on Abraham Lincoln’s “Lyceum Speech,” which is still widely read in the USA today. In the speech, long before he became US President, Lincoln thought about how American democracy should be defended against enemies from outside but also from within. As was reported, Glass included the following quote in the libretto: “The outlaws in spirit, who have regarded government as their deadliest enemy, celebrate the suspension of its effectiveness. (…) We hope that all dangers can be overcome, but some man possessed by ambition will rise among us. Distinction will be his first aim, and since there is nothing left to build, he will boldly dedicate himself to the task of tearing down.” This warning actually does not fit into a cultural organization that allows itself to be led by Trump.