The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts has seen two additional events canceled following its board’s decision to rename the building as the Trump-Kennedy Center.
The cancellations include performances by jazz septet The Cookers scheduled for New Year’s Eve. In a statement, the group emphasized that “Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice.” They added that “We remain committed to playing music that reaches across divisions rather than deepening them.”
The band’s drummer, Billy Hart, stated the building’s name change had “evidently” played a role in their decision.
New York-based dance company Doug Varone and Dancers has also canceled two April performances planned to mark its 40th anniversary. The company described the move as “financially devastating but morally exhilarating,” noting it could lose $40,000 by canceling.
Richard Grenell, president of the Trump-Kennedy Center, recently criticized musician Chuck Redd’s decision to cancel a Christmas Eve performance due to the name change, calling it “classic intolerance” and threatening legal action for $1 million.
The center was named after President John F. Kennedy a year after his assassination, but state law explicitly prohibits its board of trustees from making the center into a memorial to anyone else or placing another person’s name on the building’s exterior.
