Béla Fleck speaks out on canceling Trump's Kennedy Center shows
- - Béla Fleck speaks out on canceling Trump's Kennedy Center shows
Audrey Gibbs, Nashville TennesseanJanuary 10, 2026 at 2:22 AM
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Béla Fleck is opening up about his decision to cancel upcoming appearances at the Trump-Kennedy Center, formerly known as The Kennedy Center.
The Nashville banjoist announced he would not perform at the newly named performing arts venue, sharing on Jan. 6 that he was pulling out of three shows with the National Symphony Orchestra. Fleck wrote on social media that performing there "has become charged and political," when "the focus should be on the music."
Fleck joins a growing camp of artists who have canceled Kennedy Center shows after President Trump named himself chairman of the famed arts institution in February 2025.
Noah Kahan performs with Bela Fleck during the MusiCares Persons of the Year gala honoring the Grateful Dead in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 31, 2025.
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A force in the Nashville music scene since the '80s, Fleck's music blends together bluegrass, jazz, folk, classical and world genres alongside his band the Flecktones. He's garnered 43 Grammy nominations, 18 wins and multiple International Bluegrass Music Association awards.
Fleck is no stranger to the former Kennedy Center, which the president has since announced plans to overhaul. The banjoist has performed at the venue multiple times throughout his career.
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"I have withdrawn from my upcoming performance with the NSO at The Kennedy Center," Fleck said in his original announcement, adding that the institution should be focused on music. "I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art."
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell responded to Fleck on X, writing, "You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties. This mob pressuring you will never be happy until you only play for Democrats."
"The Trump Kennedy Center believes all people are welcome — Democrats and Republicans and people uninterested in politics," Grenell continued. "We want performers who aren’t political — who simply love entertaining everyone regardless of who they voted for.”
to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in what they say was a unanimous decision to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in what they say was a unanimous decision to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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1 / 8John F. Kennedy Memorial Center adds Trump to name. See the change
Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in what they say was a unanimous decision to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
Bela Fleck breaks silence: 'I don’t want to take a position, but whatever I do is taking a position'
Fleck spoke to the Washington Post about his choice in an interview published Jan. 7.
"The Kennedy Center always seemed like an elite place to play. Every time I've gotten to play there has been a special occasion, a career high," he told the outlet. "I was so thankful when this gig came up and was proposed. I was thrilled. So it's a big deal to walk away from it."
Bela Fleck plays the banjo while Sierra Hull performs at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 7, 2025.
The canceled shows were for a segment with the NSO called "American Mosaic," a performance that highlights "American music" for the country's 250th birthday, according to the Trump-Kennedy Center website.
"I like to play for all kinds of people. I don't just want to play to people with my own political point of view," Fleck continued. "When you're trying to decide what to do about a situation like this, it's linked to that very feeling of not wanting to choose sides and alienate people, but also not wanting the music to be about that choice. The music should be itself and stand aside from whatever's happening in the world.
"By not canceling, I’m taking a position, and I don't want to take that position," he said, adding that the "progressive" tone of his music speaks for itself. "That's what it really comes down to: I don't want to take a position, but whatever I do is taking a position."
Bela Fleck performs at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Sunday June 14, 2015, in Manchester.Who has canceled Kennedy Center shows?
Fleck joins a growing list of artists who have refused to participate in events since the president's takeover and subsequent renaming.
Other artists who have cancelled or withdrawn include: Kristy Lee, Wayne Tucker, Brentano Quartet with Hsin-Yun Huang, Magpie, Doug Varone and Dancers, Maria João Pires with Marc-André Hamelin, comedy show "Asian AF." a touring production of "Hamilton," Chuck Redd, The Cookers, Stephen Schwartz, Issa Rae, Rhiannon Giddens and Balún.
Shonda Rhimes resigned from the center's board of trustees while Ben Folds and Renée Fleming stepped down as artistic advisors. Fleck has an upcoming project on the books with Fleming, an opera singer.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bela Fleck breaks silence on canceling Trump's Kennedy Center shows
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
