Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington performs at the Kennedy Center in 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has cancelled “A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride,” a May 21 concert that was to feature the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C.
In a statement to the Washington Blade, Jean Davidson, executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, said “Before the leadership transition at the Kennedy Center, we made the decision to postpone Peacock Among Pigeons due to financial and scheduling factors.”
“We chose to replace it with The Wizard of Oz, another suitable program for World PRIDE participation,” she said. “Program changes are a common practice. We were 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 center’s decision predated President Donald Trump’s installment of himself as chair of the iconic institution earlier this month. He then picked gay former diplomat Ric Grenell to serve as interim executive director.
The Chorus released a statement that said the group was “deeply disappointed” to learn their concert with the National Symphony Orchestra was taken off the schedule. “We believe in the power of music to educate and uplift, to foster love, understanding, and community, and we regret that this opportunity has been taken away,” they said.
The organization pledged to “continue to seek spaces where our voices, our stories, and our music can be heard,” adding, “We will continue to advocate for artistic expression that reflects the depth and diversity of our community and country,” and “we will continue to sing and raise our voices for equality.”
The Chorus now plans to perform the show during the WorldPride International Choral Festival instead. The center did not provide a reason for the cancellation.
Announcing his takeover of the organization on Truth Social, Trump pledged that “no more drag shows” would be hosted there, even though they only accounted for a fraction of its programming.
The president purged most of the center’s board of trustees earlier this month, while Grenell has begun to fire employees, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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