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Music director Gianandrea Noseda conducts The National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center on March 13, 2025. Julian Thomas/National Symphony Orchestra hide caption
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Julian Thomas/National Symphony Orchestra
Symphony orchestra audiences aren't known for their rowdiness but Thursday night's concert at The Kennedy Center by the National Symphony Orchestra was a brief exception.
As Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance entered the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, audience members booed loudly. Videos of the episode have gone viral on social media.
Usha Vance was recently appointed by President Trump to The Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees.
Describing the scene in the Washington Classical Review, Charles T. Downey writes the Vances were "greeted less than cordially with a sustained chorus of loud booing."
"This video should challenge us all to commit to making the Kennedy Center a place where everyone is welcomed," writes Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell, a Trump appointee who is also the special presidential envoy for special missions, on X. "It troubles me to see that so many in the audience appear to be white and intolerant of diverse political views. Diversity is our strength. We must do better. We must welcome EVERYONE. We will not allow the Kennedy Center to be an intolerant place."
President Trump's shakeup of the institution has led to a number of artists such as Rhiannon Giddens and Issa Rae canceling performances and leaving advisory roles.
Washington Bach Consort board member Helen McConnell writes on Facebook: "People are livid with the takeover by Trump and are not going to be quiet about it."
