Ben Folds Warns Symphony Not Survive Trump’s Center
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- National Symphony Orchestra may not survive the Trump‑led Kennedy Center overhaul, according to an Instagram open letter posted by Ben Folds.
- Ben Folds resigned as the NSO’s first artistic adviser in early 2025 after Trump assumed control of the Kennedy Center, having launched the “Declassified” concert series in 2017.
- Federal judge blocked Trump’s plan to close the Kennedy Center for renovations and ordered the removal of his name from the building; the Center intends to appeal.
- National Symphony Orchestra has no upcoming season programming because it lacks a confirmed venue and its endowment is entangled with the Kennedy Center’s legal and financial troubles, causing fundraising and ticket sales to plummet.
- Ben Folds urged donors, the public, and Congress to protect the NSO, calling for enforced independence of federal arts institutions and for future Kennedy Center directors to have arts administration experience.
Why it matters: The National Symphony Orchestra risks losing its endowment, venue, and audience, while donors and the Washington arts scene lose a flagship institution; congressional action could restore funding and protect federal arts independence.
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