Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sonia De Los Santos canceled two children’s concerts and a planned audience conversation at Washington’s Kennedy Center — all scheduled for Feb. 7 — citing what she described as an unwelcoming atmosphere at the venue for immigrants, her band, and her audience. De Los Santos, a Mexican American artist, announced the withdrawal Thursday on Instagram.
The cancellation adds to a growing succession of artist withdrawals from the Kennedy Center since President Donald Trump removed the center’s previous leadership early last year, assumed chairmanship of its board of trustees, and backed a December board decision to rebrand the venue as the Trump-Kennedy Center — a change legal scholars say requires an act of Congress.
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sonia De Los Santos canceled two concerts for young people and a planned audience conversation at Washington’s Kennedy Center — all scheduled for Feb. 7 — citing what she described as a climate at the venue that is no longer welcoming to immigrants, her band, or her audience. De Los Santos announced the withdrawal Thursday on Instagram.
“As an artist, I treasure the freedom to create and share my music, and for many years I have used this privilege to uplift the stories of immigrants in this country,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, I do not feel that the current climate at this beloved venue represents a welcoming space for myself, my band, or our audience.”
In an email to The Associated Press, De Los Santos said she would have no additional comment.
De Los Santos is a Mexican American artist whose 2018 album “¡Alegría!” received a Latin Grammy nomination for best children’s album.
Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi challenged De Los Santos’ framing in an email to the AP.
“This country was built on legal immigrants and as a first generation American, I find her statement highly offensive,” Daravi wrote. “Refusing to engage with an institution open to everyone is, in fact, a step towards discrimination.”
A widening wave of cancellations
De Los Santos’ withdrawal is among the latest in a succession of artist departures from the Kennedy Center since President Donald Trump removed its previous leadership early last year and arranged to head the board of trustees. Trump has highlighted the center in his broader campaign against what he has called “woke” bias at cultural institutions.
A board decision in December to rebrand the venue as the Trump-Kennedy Center — a change that legal scholars say can only be enacted through Congress — set off a fresh round of cancellations. Jazz musician Chuck Redd called off a planned Christmas Eve show, and the jazz group The Cookers withdrew from their New Year’s Eve concerts.
Last week, Grammy-winning banjo player Bela Fleck announced he had canceled three scheduled appearances next month with the National Symphony Orchestra, writing on social media that performing at the center had become “charged and political.” Ric Grenell, a diplomat and Trump ally whom the president appointed to lead the center, wrote on X that Fleck had “made it political and caved to the woke mob.”
Other artists who have withdrawn from Kennedy Center events include “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and rock star Peter Wolf. “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz, who had been expected to host a spring opera gala, also pulled out. The May shows of the variety show Asian AF were listed as canceled on the Kennedy Center website and then removed entirely; the center cited a “scheduling conflict.”