The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts felt like a school shuttered for summer vacation.
When David Jones recently arrived for the first time in months, there were new metal detectors in the lobby but hardly anybody for the security guards to wave through. He hoped to pick up new sheet music, but the building’s librarian was not there. Neither were most of the faces he used to see daily. Outside, the large banners that typically promoted new shows had come down.
Jones, 60, has been the principal clarinetist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra since 1998. From its perch beneath the stage, the group anchors performances for the Washington National Opera and ballet and theater productions at the treasured cultural institution.
But this year, Jones has rarely set foot in the building.
President Trump’s takeover of the traditionally nonpartisan center kept many of the groups Jones was scheduled to perform with away from Washington. The creative team behind “Hamilton” was among the first to protest. After Trump’s name was added to the building’s facade, the San Francisco and New York City ballets followed suit. The Washington National Opera decided to pack up and leave its longtime home.
The cascading cancellations were devastating for the orchestra and its 61 professional musicians. Their annual salary is paid by performance and the lack of work has been demoralizing. The whole ensemble last played together in the Kennedy Center with the American Ballet Theater in February.
And the future is even bleaker: The Kennedy Center is scheduled to close in July for a two-year renovation.
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