Conductor Marin Alsop Responds to Trump’s Kennedy Center Policies 

“Art is about the human spirit ... the human condition … Music, art — these are not partisan issues,” Alsop told NPR in an pre-concert interview

In an interview with NPR before two concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington last week, the American conductor Marin Alsop responded to the current direction of the center under Trump. 

Since the center’s major leadership turnover by the Trump administration, the venue has withdrawn concerts featuring the Gays Men Chorus of Washington, the children's musical Finn, and The International Pride Orchestra. 

In response to these changes, artists including Rhiannon Giddens and the German violinist Christian Tetzlaff have canceled their scheduled concert dates.

Additionally, members of the board have left and artistic director Renée Fleming resigned. 

Alsop, who became one of the first women appointed to lead a major American orchestra in 2007, chose to go ahead with her recent performances with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. 

On February 27 and March 1, she led the NSO in composer Julia Wolfe’s Her Story — a large-scale work incorporating real-life letters and speeches from the fight for women’s equality, and features an ensemble of 10 women vocalists. 

Additionally, while Alsop believes that opportunities for women conductors have improved, she has “deep concerns that now that the world seems to be trying to backtrack, these opportunities will dissipate.”

“I think it’s really important, especially in this time, that we remember and celebrate the importance of art in our lives,” Alsop told NPR’s Scott Simon, who joined her in the concert rehearsals.

“Art is about the human spirit, [the human soul, and the human condition],” she added. “And it also connects us. And it’s bipartisan. Music, art — these are not partisan issues.

“[Kennedy Center] is a wonderful performing arts center. And it’s a place of inclusion, not exclusion. And there shouldn't be any kind of barriers for people. What is American? What is anti-American? I mean, this sounds like the 1950s to me.”

Recently, conductor Leonard Slatkin — formerly music director of the National Symphony Orchestra (resident at the Kennedy Center) — responded to a Washington Post opinion piece about Trump’s takeover of the arts sector, also from a performer’s perspective. 

“If all artists withheld their performance, the [Kennedy] Center and other related organizations would close permanently,” he said, addressing comments from his Facebook followers. “That is not good for anyone. But, I understand what you are saying. It will be a difficult decision for anyone. I would use the performance opportunity to address the issue, perhaps from the stage directly.”