“Renée Fleming July 4 2018 Zachary Glenn Capital Concerts” by Dnagz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Renée Fleming has withdrawn from scheduled performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The world-renowned soprano’s cancellation follows several other high-profile artists and ensembles who have distanced themselves from the cultural institution amid politicized changes from the Trump administration, most notably its controversial renaming as the Trump-Kennedy Center in December.

Fleming was booked to sing with the National Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor James Gaffigan, on May 29-30. The esteemed vocalist has not shared any public comment on her reason for departing from the program, though a notice added to the event on the Kennedy Center’s website attributes the move to a “scheduling conflict,” further detailing that “a new soloist and repertoire will be announced at a later date, and the remainder of the program remains unchanged.”

Fleming has a long history of involvement with the Kennedy Center, including her recognition during the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in 2023. Last February, following Trump’s overthrow of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, she stepped down from her position as the Kennedy Center’s Artistic Advisor at Large “I’ve treasured the bipartisan support for this institution as a beacon of America at our best,” Fleming shared in a statement explaining her resignation “out of respect” for the ousted chairman David M. Rubenstein. “I hope the Kennedy Center continues to flourish and serve the passionate and diverse audience in our nation’s capital and across the country.”

Fleming’s cancelled Kennedy Center performances follow prior departures by all-star jazz septet the Cookers, New York dance company Doug Varone and Dancers, jazz drummer and vibraphonist Chuck Redd, the Washington National Opera, pioneering banjoist Béla Fleck and more. “Performing there has become charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music,” said Fleck, whose cancellations with the National Symphony Orchestra were ascribed to “personal issues” on the venue’s website. “I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art.”

Beyond her unparalleled acclaim as a classical vocalist, Fleming is also a noted Deadhead. She collaborated with the Dead’s drummer Mickey Hart and Zakir Hussain on numerous occasions, and sat in with Dead & Company for trancelike vocal improvisation on “Space” during last year’s Dead Forever Sphere residency.

Read more about Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center here.