Stephen Schwartz Says He Won’t Participate In Planned Kennedy Center Event After Trump’s Changes

Stephen Schwartz said that he will not be part of a planned May event at the Kennedy Center after its board voted last month to add Donald Trump‘s name to the venue.

Schwartz, the composer/lyricist of Wickedhad been on the bill to host the Washington National Opera Gala on May 16.

In a statement to Newsday, Schwartz said, “It no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be. There’s no way I would set foot in it now.”

He said that before Trump took control of the board and became its chairman, he had been invited by artistic director Francesca Zambello to be part of the Washington National Opera event.

“But I’ve heard nothing about it since February 2025, so I have assumed it’s no longer happening,” Schwartz said, per Newsday. “I can’t imagine Francesca continuing under the current circumstances. If it is happening, of course I will not be part of it.”

Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi said in a statement, “Stephen Schwartz was never discussed nor confirmed and never had a contract by current Trump Kennedy Center leadership. Schwartz said himself that he ‘heard nothing about it since February 2025…assumed it’s no longer happening.’ It is completely false to report otherwise.”

But on the center website, the event was still on the schedule, with access to purchase tickets, and the logline: “Witness the links between musical theater and opera come alive in this thrilling concert! Acclaimed musical theater lyricist and composer Stephen Schwartz curates and hosts for one night only, bringing together an exciting lineup of soloists to perform beloved repertory.”

Schwartz is the latest performer to drop plans to appear at the center. After Trump fired board members appointed by Joe Biden and Barack Obama, he took control of the center, becoming its chairman. That was followed by a series of performers canceling plans for the center, including the producers of Hamiltonwhile figures like Renee Fleming exited roles as advisers. After the board voted to add Trump’s name to the center, performers dropped out of planned Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve shows, while Doug Varone and Dancers canceled a gig planned for April.

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), an ex officio member of the board, filed suit against the center last month, claiming that only Congress has the authority to change the name of the arts institution. In 1964, Congress designated it as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a memorial to the late president.