NEW YORK (AP) — Renée Fleming has withdrawn from two scheduled May appearances at the Kennedy Center, the latest in a wave of cancellations since President Donald Trump ousted the previous leadership and the new leadership's announcement that the venue would be renamed the Trump Kennedy Center.
The Grammy-winning soprano was to have appeared with conductor James Gaffigan and the National Symphony Orchestra. Her decision is unsurprising; a year ago she resigned as “Artistic Advisor at Large,” citing the forced departures of Kennedy Center Chair David Rubenstein and its president, Deborah Rutter. The center itself referred to “a scheduling conflict” as the reason she dropped out of the May concerts.
“A new soloist and repertoire will be announced at a later date, and the remainder of the program remains unchanged,” reads a statement on the Kennedy Center web site that was posted this week. Fleming did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bela Fleck and Issa Rae are among the many other artists who have called off events at the Kennedy Center, which has been part of Trump's broader attack on what he calls “woke” culture. Earlier this month, the Washington National Opera announced it was severing ties with the Kennedy Center, where it had performed since 1971.
The musical presenters Vocal Arts DC, who earlier this week called off three Kennedy Center concerts because of “financial circumstances,” announced Friday they had found new venues for such scheduled performers as tenor Benjamin Bernheim and pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson. Bernheim and Matheson will appear next month at George Washington University, where the Washington National Opera is staging two operas this spring.
FILE - Singer Renee Fleming speaks after receiving a Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
FILE - Workers add President Donald Trump's name to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, after a Trump-appointed board voted to rename the institution, in Washington, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Law enforcement investigating the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie 's mother sealed off a road near Nancy Guthrie's home in Arizona late Friday night.
A parade of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock that was set up about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the house.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the activity was part of the Guthrie case. But it said the FBI requested that it not release further information.
Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch of her Tucson-area home. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.
Authorities have expressed concerns Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
Investigators have studied surveillance video, sorted through thousands of tips and submitted DNA and other evidence for laboratory analysis.
The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.
On Tuesday, authorities released footage showing an armed, masked person at Guthrie’s doorstep on the night she was abducted. The videos — less than a combined minute in length — gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Guthrie’s home in the foothills outside Tucson.
Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
FILE - This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff's Department on Feb. 2, 2026, shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie. (Pima County Sheriff's Department via AP, File)
A banner reading "Bring her home" on a fence outside of the KVOA news station in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Pima County Sheriff block a road near Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Ariz. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Pima County Sheriff block a road near Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Ariz. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Pima County Sheriff block a road near Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Ariz. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
