Gay Men’s Chorus of DC Appearance at Kennedy Center Canceled

The group was set to perform a show titled A Peacock Among Pigeons in time for Pride month but will now play the number as part of WorldPride 2025, which is scheduled for DC in June. “While we are saddened by the decision, we are committed to this work and to our mission of raising our voices for equality for all,” the Chorus wrote. “We are grateful to those who have supported us, and we will continue to seek spaces where our voices, our stories, and our music can be heard.”

National Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Jean Davidson later clarified in a statement to NBC News that the decision not to feature Peacock Among Pigeons happened before Trump’s takeover of the Center and was “due to financial and scheduling factors.” Davidson explained that changing programs was common practice: “We chose to replace it with The Wizard of Oz, another suitable program for World PRIDE participation.” 

Davidson explained that the organization was “unable to announce the replacement program until we had secured the rights to present it, but in the interest of transparency, we removed the original program from the website to prevent further ticket sales.”

The Gay Men’s Chorus performance is the latest to be canceled since President Trump changed its Board of Trustees and made himself the chairman of the organization this month. The decision has had wide repercussions industry-wide, when Ben Folds said he was stepping down from his role as artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra: “Given the developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO,” he wrote on social media. “Not for me.”

Renée Fleming and Shonda Rhimes also resigned from their post, while artists such as Issa Rae and Low Cut Connie pulled their performances and appearances from the venue following the news.