{"id":65853,"date":"2026-06-02T21:45:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/ben-folds-raises-alarm-for-national-symphony-orchestra-trump-threats\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T21:45:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:45:35","slug":"ben-folds-raises-alarm-for-national-symphony-orchestra-trump-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/ben-folds-raises-alarm-for-national-symphony-orchestra-trump-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Folds Raises Alarm for National Symphony Orchestra, Trump Threats"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tBen Folds<\/a> drew attention to the serious challenges facing the National Symphony Orchestra amid Donald Trump\u2019s overhaul of the Kennedy Center<\/a> in a new open letter shared on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOur National Symphony Orchestra is in real trouble \u2014 it may not survive. There\u2019s currently no plan or solution in sight to save the organization,\u201d Folds wrote. But, he insisted, \u201cThe public can turn the tide with overwhelming support.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Folds, the problems facing the NSO are personal<\/a>. In 2017, the musician was named the orchestra\u2019s first artistic adviser, and in the following years he spearheaded the \u201cDeclassified\u201d concert series, which featured the NSO reimagining classical and contemporary music alongside various artists. He resigned from his post<\/a> in early 2025 after Trump took charge<\/a> of the Kennedy Center<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Folds explained, the NSO currently has no programming scheduled for its upcoming season, in part because the orchestra \u201cdoesn\u2019t even know if it has a home\u201d thanks to Trump\u2019s plans to close the Kennedy Center for renovations. While those plans were recently blocked by a judge<\/a> (who also told Trump he had to remove his name from the Kennedy Center building), Folds stressed that it was \u201cnot the time for a victory lap because it\u2019s going to be a long messy process to get this all back to a healthy situation.\u201d (The Kennedy Center is likely to appeal the ruling.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAdditionally, Folds noted the NSO\u2019s \u201ctools for survival are entangled with the Kennedy Center\u2019s legal and financial trouble. Tools such as the NSO\u2019s endowment fund, which is tied to a bank note.\u201d He added that the NSO has been \u201csuffocated by the financial turmoil that has resulted from the presidential takeover.\u201d (Both fundraising<\/a> and ticket sales<\/a> have plummeted since Trump\u2019s takeover last year.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tTo bolster the NSO, Folds called for more news coverage of the orchestra\u2019s situation alongside more high-profile Kennedy Center stories (like the Trump name change). And he urged donors to keep in mind that the NSO \u201cwill need a lot of support to get back on its face.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tHe further called on the public to voice their support for the NSO, whether through public comments or private letters. And he noted the importance of contacting congresspeople to demand new safeguards to protect the Kennedy Center and other federal arts institutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe need enforced independence for our arts from politics, so that there can be trust again \u2014 trust that artists and audiences of all walks can exchange ideas and art in an apolitical environment,\u201d Folds wrote. \u201cFurther, we need Congress and the Kennedy Center Board to create guidelines requiring any future director of the Kennedy Center to have actual experience in arts administration. We can now see what happens when an inept director who doesn\u2019t know this business and spends time attacking people and artists who displease him or the President. Audiences and artists go elsewhere. So much for running the Kennedy Center like it was any other commercial venue.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tNear the end of his letter, Folds reflected on his decision to resign as the NSO\u2019s artistic adviser, saying it \u201cstill hurts,\u201d but he couldn\u2019t risk \u201cbeing used as a political pawn, implicitly siding with the POTUS\u2019s politics by association.\u201d At the same time, he noted that the members of the NSO were in a \u201cdifferent position.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tHe continued: \u201cThere was nothing to gain from their resignation, except simple unemployment. They\u2019ve remained apolitical. They\u2019ve been performing their butts off in that awful situation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFolds ended by stating pointedly, \u201cAs the politicization of the Kennedy Center makes it very difficult to attract audiences and artists, our methods of support are more limited. But I say, let\u2019s let them know we\u2019re here and ready. Let\u2019s get the word out, even amid the muddy waters of the legal dramas. Otherwise, imagine a free western country, with no National Symphony Orchestra. It\u2019s real.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n