Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz will not host gala at Kennedy Center: 'No longer apolitical'

Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president for public relations, and the center's president Ric Grenell have denied that Schwartz was expected to host an event at the venue, because he had not been approached by its new leadership.

By Misty Severi

Published: January 2, 2026 9:51pm

Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz, most known for composing the score for the musical "Wicked," said Friday that he will not be hosting galas at the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center because it is "no longer apolitical."

The performing arts venue has come back under the spotlight after its board decided to add President Donald Trump's name to the center, prompting outcry from critics of the president. One artist even forced the center to cancel its Christmas Eve jazz concert after he withdrew from his hosting responsibilities at the last minute.

Schwartz, who also composed the scores for the musicals "Pippin" and "Godspell," told the New York Times he would not participate in events at the center, and was canceling his hosting job at a gala there in May.

“[The Kennedy Center] was founded to be an apolitical home for free artistic expression for artists of all nationalities and ideologies," Schwartz said. “It is no longer apolitical and appearing there has now become an ideological statement. As long as that remains the case, I will not appear there.”

Francesca Zambello, the artistic director of the Washington National Opera, invited Schwartz to be one of the hosts of the gala, but Schwartz said he had not spoken to Zambello since February 2025.

Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president for public relations, and the center's President Ric Grenell have denied that Schwartz was expected to host an event at the venue, because he had not been approached by its new leadership.

"The Stephen Schwartz reports are totally bogus," Grenell posted on X. "Shame on the woke high school reporters repeating it. He was never signed and I’ve never had a single conversation on him since arriving. He himself said last February he hadn’t heard anything on it."

Tickets for the gala are still on sale, but do not cite Schwartz as a host for the evening.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.