Renée Fleming’s Mysterious Kennedy Center Exit: What Made the Opera Icon Say "Bravo, But Not Today"?
Added on January 24, 2026 inMusic News Cards
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If you told me last year that the Kennedy Center would be making headlines as a battleground of culture-war intrigue—with a new Trump-approved name to boot—I’d have checked my horoscope for Mercury retrograde disasters . But here we are, stargazers and music lovers, in the era when even an opera great like Renée Fleming is bowing out of the spotlight, citing reasons shrouded in “scheduling conflicts” (read: more drama than your childhood dance recital) . On a day when the moon is in Scorpio—ushering in a cosmic cleanse of institutions everywhere—is it any wonder so many stars are taking their cues to make dramatic exits? As cancellations and leadership shake-ups ripple through Washington D.C.’s most storied stage, I can’t help but wonder: is this the universe’s way of forcing an encore, or just the final curtain call for an era? LEARN MORE
Renée Fleming has withdrawn from two scheduled May appearances at the Kennedy Center, the latest in a wave of cancellations since President Donald Trump ousted the previous leadership and the new leadership’s announcement that the venue would be renamed the Trump Kennedy Center.
The Grammy-winning soprano was to have appeared with conductor James Gaffigan and the National Symphony Orchestra. Her decision is unsurprising; a year ago she resigned as “Artistic Advisor at Large,” citing the forced departures of Kennedy Center Chair David Rubenstein and its president, Deborah Rutter. The center itself referred to “a scheduling conflict” as the reason she dropped out of the May concerts.
“A new soloist and repertoire will be announced at a later date, and the remainder of the program remains unchanged,” reads a statement on the Kennedy Center web site that was posted this week. Fleming did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bela Fleck and Issa Rae are among the many other artists who have called off events at the Kennedy Center, which has been part of Trump’s broader attack on what he calls “woke” culture. Earlier this month, the Washington National Opera announced it was severing ties with the Kennedy Center, where it had performed since 1971.
The musical presenters Vocal Arts DC, who earlier this week called off three Kennedy Center concerts because of “financial circumstances,” announced Friday they had found new venues for such scheduled performers as tenor Benjamin Bernheim and pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson. Bernheim and Matheson will appear next month at George Washington University, where the Washington National Opera is staging two operas this spring.
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