Stephen Schwartz, the composer of “Wicked,” announced on Friday that he would no longer host a gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, becoming one of the most high-profile artists to criticize changes at the arts center under the Trump administration.
“It no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be,” Mr. Schwartz said of the Kennedy Center in an email sent by his assistant to Newsday. “There’s no way I would set foot in it now.”
Mr. Schwartz, who also composed the Broadway musicals “Godspell” and “Pippin,” did not immediately respond to calls and an email seeking comment. A publicist for Mr. Schwartz also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In his statement, Mr. Schwartz said that Francesca Zambello, the artistic director of the Washington National Opera, had invited him to be part of the gala before President Trump purged and replaced members of the Kennedy Center’s board.
Ms. Zambello confirmed in a brief interview on Friday that Mr. Schwartz had long been scheduled to be a host of the opera’s gala on May 16. She declined further comment.
Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, said in a statement that “Stephen Schwartz was never discussed nor confirmed and never had a contract by current Trump Kennedy Center leadership.”
Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s chairman, wrote on social media that “the Stephen Schwartz reports are totally bogus,” saying that the composer “was never signed and I’ve never had a single conversation on him since arriving.”
The Kennedy Center had promoted Mr. Schwartz’s involvement in the gala on its website since last spring, but his name was no longer included on Friday evening. A brochure advertising Washington National Opera events for the 2025-26 season said Mr. Schwartz would curate and host the gala.
“Witness the links between musical theater and opera come alive in this thrilling concert!” the brochure said.
Mr. Schwartz is the latest artist to publicly express disapproval with the Kennedy Center since its board voted to add Mr. Trump’s name to the building last month.
The jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve concert he has hosted for nearly two decades, and the jazz septet the Cookers called off two New Year’s Eve concerts. The dance company Doug Varone and Dancers and the folk singer Kristy Lee also announced that they had canceled events.
Adam Nagourney is a Times reporter covering cultural, government and political stories in New York and California.
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