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Coming Soon to Trump's Kennedy Center: A Celebration of Christ [View all]
Coming Soon to Trump’s Kennedy Center: A Celebration of Christ
Richard Grenell, the center’s new president, told a conservative gathering that the “big change” at the center would be a “huge celebration of the birth of Christ at
Christmas.”
Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s new president, spoke about his vision for the center now that it is under the control of President Trump. Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times
By Javier C. Hernández and Michael Gold
Feb. 21, 2025
President Trump took control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington only last week. But his administration is already making plans for reshaping the institution’s programming. … Chief among them: a celebration of Christ planned for December. Richard Grenell, whom Mr. Trump named as the Kennedy Center’s new president, told a conservative gathering on Friday that the “big change” at the center would be that “we are doing a big, huge celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas.”
“How crazy is it to think that we’re going to celebrate Christ at Christmas with a big traditional production, to celebrate what we are all celebrating in the world during Christmastime, which is the birth of Christ?” Mr. Grenell said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md.
The Kennedy Center has long held Christmas-themed events. … Last December, the center hosted “A Candlelight Christmas” by the Washington Chorus; “A Family Christmas” by the Choral Arts Society of Washington; and “Go Tell It,” a Christmas celebration by the Alfred Street Baptist Church, a prominent Black church in Virginia. (On Sunday, the church said it would cancel its Christmas concert there this year because the Kennedy Center’s new leaders stood in opposition to the “longstanding tradition of honoring artistic expression across all backgrounds.”)
{snip}
Mr. Grenell also said that contrary to some media reports, the decision to cancel a concert in May featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., had been made before he and Mr. Trump took control of the Kennedy Center. … When Ms. Burns asked Mr. Grenell whether he would still welcome the Gay Men’s Chorus at the center, he did not respond directly. “If you’re going to take public money, you have to prove that you actually can bring in revenue,” he said. “We don’t have any money.”
{snip}
Javier C. Hernández reports on classical music, opera and dance in New York City and beyond. More about Javier C. Hernández
https://www.nytimes.com/by/javier-c-hernandez
Michael Gold is a political correspondent for The Times covering the campaigns of Donald J. Trump and other candidates in the 2024 presidential elections. More about Michael Gold
https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-gold
Richard Grenell, the center’s new president, told a conservative gathering that the “big change” at the center would be a “huge celebration of the birth of Christ at
Christmas.”
Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s new president, spoke about his vision for the center now that it is under the control of President Trump. Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times
By Javier C. Hernández and Michael Gold
Feb. 21, 2025
President Trump took control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington only last week. But his administration is already making plans for reshaping the institution’s programming. … Chief among them: a celebration of Christ planned for December. Richard Grenell, whom Mr. Trump named as the Kennedy Center’s new president, told a conservative gathering on Friday that the “big change” at the center would be that “we are doing a big, huge celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas.”
“How crazy is it to think that we’re going to celebrate Christ at Christmas with a big traditional production, to celebrate what we are all celebrating in the world during Christmastime, which is the birth of Christ?” Mr. Grenell said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md.
The Kennedy Center has long held Christmas-themed events. … Last December, the center hosted “A Candlelight Christmas” by the Washington Chorus; “A Family Christmas” by the Choral Arts Society of Washington; and “Go Tell It,” a Christmas celebration by the Alfred Street Baptist Church, a prominent Black church in Virginia. (On Sunday, the church said it would cancel its Christmas concert there this year because the Kennedy Center’s new leaders stood in opposition to the “longstanding tradition of honoring artistic expression across all backgrounds.”)
{snip}
Mr. Grenell also said that contrary to some media reports, the decision to cancel a concert in May featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., had been made before he and Mr. Trump took control of the Kennedy Center. … When Ms. Burns asked Mr. Grenell whether he would still welcome the Gay Men’s Chorus at the center, he did not respond directly. “If you’re going to take public money, you have to prove that you actually can bring in revenue,” he said. “We don’t have any money.”
{snip}
Javier C. Hernández reports on classical music, opera and dance in New York City and beyond. More about Javier C. Hernández
https://www.nytimes.com/by/javier-c-hernandez
Michael Gold is a political correspondent for The Times covering the campaigns of Donald J. Trump and other candidates in the 2024 presidential elections. More about Michael Gold
https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-gold
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