A veteran classical musician says he’s been performing to rows of empty seats at the Kennedy Center since President Donald Trump’s MAGA takeover.
Violist Daniel Foster, who has been with the National Symphony Orchestra for the past 30 years, said he is becoming increasingly disillusioned by having to perform in front of dwindling crowds since the president’s controversial seizure of the venue.
“Right now, I’m doubling down on what I’m there to do, which is what I love to do: I have music to prepare,” Foster told the Washingtonian, amid reports of plummeting ticket sales and boycotts at the formerly apolitical venue.
“I try not to get overly big-picture about things, but the money that comes in from ticket sales is not just gravy.”
Trump installed himself as chair of the Kennedy Center in February after branding the arts venue too “woke.”
The takeover saw Trump bring in MAGA loyalist Richard Grenell to lead the institution, despite his lack of experience in arts or culture. Several other White House officials and Trump allies were also appointed to the board.
The backlash has led to hugely popular shows like Hamilton pulling out of potentially lucrative runs, while more than 40 percent of tickets for performances have reportedly gone unsold, The Washington Post reported in October.
Staff have even speculated that the venue has been giving away an increasing number of complimentary tickets in a desperate bid to fill seats.
Foster said he is becoming increasingly disillusioned with performing for sparse audiences, likening the experience to practicing in near-empty rooms during the pandemic.
After every performance, he said, he wishes some of the Kennedy Center’s previous regular audience members would return.
“I think it would have value to them,” he told Washingtonian. “People want to feel stuff. It makes us feel alive.”
“It’s not appropriate for me to tell people what they should and shouldn’t do,” he said, but warned that if ticket sales continue to decline, the very future of the Kennedy Center could be in jeopardy.
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