The executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, a Kennedy Center mainstay, is leaving to lead the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
It is the latest departure from the Kennedy Center since Donald Trump began exerting control over the historic performing arts venue in Washington.
The Wallis announced on Friday that Jean Davidson had been appointed CEO and CEO. Prior to joining the Kennedy Center in 2023, Davidson had served for eight years as executive director and executive director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale at The Music Center.
“The arts are where a community sees itself and imagines what is possible next,” Davidson said in a statement. “I am honored to join the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Arts at this pivotal time.”
Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, said in a statement to the Associated Press that she was among those who deserved “enormous credit” for her efforts.
“I have enjoyed working with Jean to cultivate new donors and sponsors while cleaning up the financial mess at the (center),” he said.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Davidson said: “It has been a great honor to serve the OSN and work alongside Gianandrea Noseda, Steven Reineke, the extraordinary musicians and the dedicated staff and board of directors. I am deeply proud of all we have accomplished together.”
Davidson told the Los Angeles Times that he had found it “increasingly difficult” to remain at the Kennedy Center, “given the external forces at play that are far beyond my control.”
After largely ignoring the center during his first term, Trump has made it a focal point in his war against so-called “woke” culture. He ousted the Kennedy Center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of directors that voted to rename the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change that scholars and lawmakers say should be initiated by Congress.
Renée Fleming, Philip Glass and Bela Fleck are among the many artists to cancel performances, and the Washington National Opera ended its decades-long residency. Last month, Trump said he would close the center this summer for construction he expects to last two years.
At Wallis, Davidson succeeds Robert van Leer, who recently left to join the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation as director of the performing arts program.
