Creators Pull FELLOW TRAVELERS Opera From Kennedy Center Lineup Amid Trump Takeover

The New York Times reports that the Kennedy Center's Washington National Opera and National Symphony Orchestra 2025/2626 seasons, the first since President Trump assumed leadership of the institution, will continue largely as planned, but one major work will not appear.

The opera Fellow Travelers, by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Greg Pierce, has been withdrawn by its creators. In a letter obtained by The New York Times, Spears and Pierce said they pulled the work because of Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, which they believe conflicts with the opera's themes of liberty and inclusion.

Washington National Opera’s upcoming season includes productions such as Verdi’s Aida and Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha. The National Symphony Orchestra plans performances of works by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, as well as world premieres by Carlos Simon, Valerie Coleman, and others.

Fellow Travelers, which premiered at Cincinnati Opera in 2016, is based on the 2007 novel by Thomas Mallon. It follows the relationship between two government workers who become lovers during the 1950s. It was scheduled to receive its Washington premiere during the 2025/26 season.

“We have made the impossibly difficult decision that the Kennedy Center is not a place the team feels comfortable having the work presented,” Spears and Pierce wrote in their letter.

Tim O’Leary and Francesca Zambello, leaders of Washington National Opera, issued a statement expressing disappointment.

“We deeply regret that the creative team of Fellow Travelers has decided to deprive WNO audiences of the chance to experience this opera,” the statement said. “Art and music have the power to rise above division and bring people together to find common ground. The WNO has long been a place for everyone to enjoy the power of the opera and it will remain a place for patrons of all backgrounds and beliefs.”

Fellow Travelers will be replaced by a new production of Robert Ward’s The Crucible, conducted by Robert Spano in his first season as music director.

The announcement comes amid major changes at the Kennedy Center. Trump appointed himself chairman of the board and removed several Biden-era appointees. Richard Grenell, a former ambassador to Germany, was named the center’s new president.

This week, the Kennedy Center eliminated a community outreach initiative known as Social Impact. The program had focused on expanding access to performances and commissioning works by underrepresented artists. Several employees were terminated, and references to the program were removed from the center’s website.

Despite the changes, some artists are staying. Gianandrea Noseda recently renewed his contract as music director of the National Symphony through 2031. Carlos Simon, the center’s composer in residence, also confirmed he would continue his work with the institution.