Stephen Schwartz, the composer of the musical “Wicked,” has canceled his commitment at Washington National Opera following the renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The composer said that “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. 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.”

In his statement Schwartz also noted, “The Kennedy Center was founded to be an apolitical home for free artistic expression for artists of all nationalities and ideologies. It is no longer apolitical, and appearing there has now become an ideological statement. As long as that remains the case, I will not appear there.”

Artistic Director Francesca Zambello confirmed that she had invited Schwartz via in an interview to the New York Times but did not comment further.

When the season was announced on March 27, 2025, Schwartz was attached to the season announcement and up until Jan. 2, 2025, the Kennedy Center website had advertised the gala with Schwartz as seen below.

However, the Kennedy center’s administration lashed out via X with Richard Grenell stating, “The Stephen Schwartz reports are totally bogus. Shame on the woke high school reporters repeating it. He was never signed and I’ve never had a single conversation on him since arriving. He himself said last February he hadn’t heard anything on it.”

The center’s current spokesperson Roma Daravi added, “Stephen Schwartz was never discussed nor confirmed and never had a contract by current Trump Kennedy Center leadership. Schwartz said himself that he ‘heard nothing about it since February 2025…assumed it’s no longer happening.’ It is completely false to report otherwise.”

Schwartz is the latest artist to cancel at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts following Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Cookers, Doug Varone and Dancers, Kristy Lee, and Chuck Redd.

This is the latest headline out of the Washington National Opera following the Trump takeover. The company first saw the team of “Fellow Travelers” cancel their participation in the 2025-26 season and then Zambello suggested that the company could move out of the Kennedy Center.

The Washington National Opera gala set for May 1, 2026 no longer has any artist listed.

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