'Wicked' composer Stephen Schwartz says he won't appear at Kennedy Center

The iconic "Wicked" composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz told Newsday on Thursday that he will join the artists who have said they will not perform at the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump's name was added to the building.

Schwartz, a three-time Academy Award winner who grew up in Nassau County, was scheduled to host the Washington National Opera Gala at the Kennedy Center on May 16, but he said he is bowing out.

"It no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be," Schwartz said of the Kennedy Center in an email sent by his assistant. "There's no way I would set foot in it now."

The Kennedy Center has been steeped in controversy since Trump ousted its board and named himself its chairman earlier this year. The producers of "Hamilton" and actor Issa Rae canceled appearances as a result, while musicians Ben Folds and Renee Fleming stepped down from advisory roles.

Congress passed a law authorizing the construction of a national cultural center named after President John F. Kennedy a year after his 1963 assassination. Federal law prohibits the board of trustees from putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior.

Schwartz, who grew up in Roslyn Heights and also created "Godspell" and "Pippin," worked with Leonard Bernstein on "Mass," which was the first performance held at the Kennedy Center when it opened in 1971. 

"Last year, way before the change of Board and name of the Kennedy Center, I was invited by [director] Francesca Zambello to be part of a Washington National Opera event on May 16, 2026," Schwartz, 77, said in his email. "But I've heard nothing about it since February 2025, so I have assumed it's no longer happening. I can't imagine Francesca continuing under the current circumstances. If it is happening, of course I will not be part of it."

Brooklyn-based musician Wayne Tucker on Wednesday told Newsday that he and his band, The Bad Mothas, will not perform at the Kennedy Center as scheduled on Jan. 22.

Jazz drummer Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve jazz show he was scheduled to host. Doug Varone and Dancers, a New York dance group, said in an Instagram post on Monday that it was pulling out of an April performance.

The Cookers, an all-star jazz ensemble, announced that they canceled their New Year’s Eve show at the Kennedy Center.

Other New York City artists scheduled for appearances in 2026 have not commented on the Kennedy Center controversy. A New York City brass party band, The Shag Horns, is on the Kennedy Center calendar for Jan. 24. The Martha Graham Dance Company is scheduled for three dates in early April, and the New York City Ballet is slated for early June.