Kevin Couch Resigns From Kennedy Center Days After Hiring
Kevin Couch left his role as senior vice president of artistic programming less than two weeks after being appointed amid artist cancellations and leadership turmoil.
Overview
Kevin Couch resigned as senior vice president of artistic programming at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, less than two weeks after the center announced his hiring on Jan. 16, officials confirmed.
The abrupt departure follows a wave of artist cancellations and controversy after President Donald Trump installed a new board of trustees and Richard Grenell became interim president, according to center statements and reporting.
Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center's interim president, praised Couch's hire in a Jan. 16 press release as expanding “commonsense programming,” and a center spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment, records show.
Artist cancellations include composer Philip Glass pulling the planned June premiere of Symphony No. 15 and soprano Renée Fleming withdrawing two May appearances, and ticket sales have reportedly declined, according to multiple news reports.
The center will host a screening of the Melania documentary Thursday attended by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, and Kennedy Center leaders face potential further cancellations and public scrutiny in coming weeks.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as political fallout: they tie the programming chief’s resignation to artist cancellations after the Kennedy Center added Trump’s name, emphasize harms (slowed ticket sales, high-profile dropouts), foreground critical voices like Philip Glass, and present the center’s defensive quotes as counterpoints rather than dominant explanations.