Kennedy Center Bans Concert

[arpeggio]

Given how things evolved in the past, US politics remains off-bounds on GMG. OTOH, discussing a performing arts institution and its artistic policies is acceptable. If this thread is used as a springboard to discuss US politics in general, it will be immediately locked.

Also, demeaning or derogatory posts aimed at other members have been (and will continue to be) deleted by the moderation without explanation or further warning..

That is all that I want to do.
There are other platforms where one can address other issues.

[JBS]

The Kennedy Center Honors have always been about cultural importance, with artistic greatness always secondary and sometimes not even relevant.

By that yardstick, almost all of those people were appropriate recipients. (There are two names I don't recognize.) And yes by that yardstick Metallica would deserve the honor.

[Todd]

And yes by that yardstick Metallica would deserve the honor.

You missed the point.

[SimonNZ]

You missed the point.

*You* have missed the point.

Ah, but actually you haven't. You know that the issue is a loyalty oath, or at least a simpatico that hadn't existed or been necessary before. You just pretend not to know.

[owlice]

That is all that I want to do.
There are other platforms where one can address other issues.

And that intent has been very clear, arpeggio, in all of your postings. Thank you very much for them!

The Kennedy Center has been an important artistic and cultural venue since it opened. It has been part of my life since middle school; my first attendance there was to see Bernstein's Candide, a school field trip organized by, of all people, my math teacher. I attended many performances there when in high school (as the Center offered discounted tickets to students), hearing Renata Tebaldi in recital, for example, and seeing Marcel Marceau, a name few high schoolers today would recognize, I'm sure, with a merry group of friends. And of course attending piano recitals and orchestral performances and ballets and plays and even the occasional musical there.

Once in college, I not only attended performances there, I also performed there, as I was a member of a concert chorus. We sang with the National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw, and other orchestras under Dorati, Rostropovich, Haitink, Slatkin, and etc.

When I became a mother, I took my then-small child to performances there, and to the National Symphony's "Petting Zoo", part of a Kennedy Center outreach event. My then-small child also got to experience having his mom on stage while he was in the audience. (Ha! So did my mother, who, after a performance of the Mahler 2nd, told me she wouldn't have bothered to come if she'd known ahead of time how short the choral part is!  )

I've sung for the Kennedy Center Honors, too, and when it was necessary to do so, sat out in the very early chill of a December day year after year hoping to score free tickets to the annual Messiah singalong that was presented every December 23. (We were always successful, w00t!) That event was part of our holiday traditions, with a meal before it with friends and all of us, including my son, trouping off to the Center to raise our garlic-infused voices with a concert hall full of other singers and sort-of or would-be singers. (It was great fun!)

What happens with, at, and to the Kennedy Center is definitely of interest to those of us who have enjoyed having the national cultural center of the United States, as Wikipedia identifies it, as a venue.

arpeggio, again, I thank you.

[arpeggio]

So far the National Symphony is still going strong.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2025/09/28/kennedy-center-nso-gala/

[arpeggio]

Although this does not relate to the Kennedy Center, it is another action by the current administration to control the arts.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2025/10/01/national-council-on-the-humanities-fired-white-house/

[Todd]

It is of course worth noting that as a policy matter, the National Endowment for the Humanities is slated for elimination in the 2026 budget.  If there is no endowment, the council will have little or nothing to do.  Arts funding and administration should be fully private, with no direct or indirect subsidies at the national level.

[owlice]

arpeggio, thank you again for your posts. I appreciate very much your ability to stick to the topic at hand; would that others could do so well!

[arpeggio]

I have gone down the path with those who do not believe that the government should subsidize the arts.
Ironically there are several areas that the American government does subsidize the arts that these individuals do not object to.
One of these are the military service bands: Marine, Army, Air Force, Navy and the Army Field Band.
These music organizations are part of the funding for the Department of Defense.  As a result, the concerts of the
these organizations are free.

[owlice]

I've used recordings by military service bands in videos (since they are [largely] copyright free/public domain) and known a few members of military service music groups, too, in the past. I presume they, like I, have all retired.

When I first visited NYC, I was astonished, astonished!, to learn that I had to pay to get into museums and art galleys. I had been overseas and paying for museums there hadn't fazed me (different countries, different rules), but because I'm a D.C. native and grew up with the Smithsonian museums, I had assumed U.S. museums were free! 

[Todd]

Military bands explicitly serve state ends.  Since the military is, in fact and practice, the physical manifestation of state power, it is easy to justify the existence of military bands on such grounds.  There should obviously be no civilian equivalent as a matter of policy.

[relm1]

It is of course worth noting that as a policy matter, the National Endowment for the Humanities is slated for elimination in the 2026 budget.  If there is no endowment, the council will have little or nothing to do.  Arts funding and administration should be fully private, with no direct or indirect subsidies at the national level.

That is effectively saying arts should be for profit.  The whole point of NEA is they set aside some percentage for arts to create content not based on profit because it ultimately benefits the community.  That is actually part of the merit of granting arts funding, how big it impacts the community.  If you put on a concert for free at a local high school, arts council might cover some costs to make this more viable.  Some students might in turn become artists or something.  This is a far, far better use of government funds then ICE or military parades for the king.

[Todd]

That is effectively saying arts should be for profit.

Not really.  Non-profit organizations can be and are set up to support the arts.  There are literally thousands of non-profits devoted to the arts.  And of course, for-profit organizations are free to pursue whatever actions they wish as it pertains to arts.  The policy question regarding non-profits then becomes one of tax treatment.  The arts are all entirely distinct from law enforcement (eg, ICE) and dubious or worthless parades.  I am fine with the idea of doing away with publicly funded parades entirely, even next year.  (That written, there will be many publicly funded parades next year.)  Private parades are perfectly fine if the organizers reimburse impacted jurisdictions for use of public resources (eg, police). 

[owlice]

I'm very amused!

Now back to the Kennedy Center and what is going on there, hmmm? Thanks!

[ritter]

You were all warned. If this thread turned political, then it would be locked.

Next time, I suggest members think twice before bringing up issues (e.g. ICE) not related to the Kennedy Center or the performing arts.