The Kennedy Center‘s head of artistic programming has resigned, less than two weeks since his hire was announced.
Kevin Couch told The Washington Post and The New York Times that he had stepped down as senior VP, but provided no other comment.
The center had announced his hire on Jan. 16, heralding him as a “visionary entertainment leader” with “over two decades of experience in artist management, global booking, and high-level brand partnerships.”
Couch previously was director of programming for ATG Entertainment, overseeing venues in San Antonio, Tulsa, Little Rock, and Springfield. He booked artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and Carlos Santana at San Antonio’s Majestic Theatre, as well as a Joe Rogan Netflix special. He also managed Color Me Badd, and founded the branding agency CBC Creative, per the center.
A spokesperson for the center did not immediately return a request for comment.
In recent weeks, the center has seen a new wave of artist cancellations, after its board, now chaired by Donald Trump, added the president to the cultural institution’s name. Just this week, composer Philip Glass canceled plans to debut “Lincoln,” or Symphony No. 15, at the center in June.
“Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony,” Glass wrote.
Figures such as Renee Fleming and Chuck Redd are among those who have dropped out of Kennedy Center performances recently, while Hamilton had earlier canceled its planned run.
Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, responded, “We have no place for politics in the arts, and those calling for boycotts based on politics are making the wrong decision. We have not cancelled a single show. Leftist activists are pushing artists to cancel but the public wants artists to perform and create – not cancel under pressure from political insiders that benefit from creating division.”
Despite decrying politics in the arts, Richard Grenell, who is the center’s president, has continued to post combative messages on his X account, often blasting the media and figures like California Governor Gavin Newsom, on issues not related to the cultural institution.
The center has suffered from slowed ticket sales since Trump ousted board members and took control of the institution just weeks after taking office, per analyses in the Post and the Times. He installed Grenell, a longtime loyalist, to lead the center.
The audience base for the center is in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, areas that voted heavily against Trump in the 2024 presidential election and, after he took office, were hardest hit by the Department of Government Efficiency cuts to the federal workforce.
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