Exodus at the Kennedy Center as National Symphony director flees Trump's chaotic takeover

Jean Davidson, executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, announced Friday she is departing her position to lead the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills, marking another casualty in the chaos engulfing the Kennedy Center since Trump took control. Davidson, who held the NSO post for less than three years, cited a "really hard year" and a lack of communication from leadership. The exodus accelerates as legendary composer Philip Glass withdrew his symphony debut and banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck cancelled performances. Attendance plummeted 50 percent, and the Washington National Opera departed in January after 55 years. Davidson received no notice of an abrupt two-year repair shutdown, forcing the NSO's 100-member orchestra and $42 million budget to scramble for new venues mid-season. Rep. Joyce Beatty is challenging the shutdown in federal court.

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