Amid Kennedy Center Strife, the National Symphony Faces a Cloudy Future

Article excerpt

The National Symphony Orchestra, which calls the Kennedy Center home, cannot schedule its next season because it lacks an approved budget and a secured venue, the latest crisis in months of institutional turmoil at the nation's flagship performing arts center. The orchestra's leadership has been unable to move forward with programming or staff commitments while the Kennedy Center navigates internal conflict. The situation leaves musicians and audiences without clarity about whether performances will resume as planned, casting doubt on what has long been a cornerstone of Washington's cultural life. The uncertainty underscores deepening dysfunction at the center itself, which has become mired in disputes that now threaten the stability of one of its resident companies.