The Kennedy Center says Stephen Schwartz was never booked for its gala, but tickets once listed him — adding to growing artist unrest.
The Kennedy Center and Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz are telling sharply different stories about his supposed role in an upcoming Washington National Opera Gala, highlighting the growing confusion — and tension — surrounding the institution.
At the center of the dispute is a May 16, 2026 gala event that briefly listed Schwartz as its host on the Kennedy Center’s website. Reports quickly spread that the Oscar-winning composer had canceled his appearance in protest of recent leadership changes tied to Donald Trump. The Kennedy Center, however, now says Schwartz was never officially booked in the first place.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Kennedy Center vice president of public relations Roma Daravi said Schwartz “was never discussed nor confirmed” under the current leadership and never signed a contract. Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell echoed that message online, calling reports of a cancellation “bogus” and insisting he had never spoken with Schwartz about the event.
Schwartz, though, offered a more personal explanation. In an email to Newsday, he said he had been invited in 2024 by Washington National Opera director Francesca Zambello to take part in the gala. According to Schwartz, communication about the event stopped in early 2025, leading him to assume it was no longer happening.
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More importantly, Schwartz made clear that even if the gala does move forward, he would not attend. He wrote that the Kennedy Center “no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be,” adding bluntly, “There’s no way I would set foot in it now.”
That stance has struck a chord with many in the arts community. While the Kennedy Center disputes the idea that Schwartz canceled anything, his comments come as a growing list of performers have publicly withdrawn from appearances following Trump’s takeover of the center’s board and the addition of his name to the institution.
Artists who have already canceled include Rhiannon Giddens, Ben Folds, Renée Fleming, and the touring production of Hamilton, along with several jazz and holiday performers.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that tickets for the gala — listing Schwartz as host — were available on the Kennedy Center’s website until Friday afternoon, before his name was quietly removed. The center has not yet explained how that listing appeared.
Booked or not, the episode underscores a larger issue: trust. As artists continue to distance themselves, the Kennedy Center now faces mounting questions about transparency, leadership, and its future role as a cultural space meant to unite, not divide.
