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The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington has gone through big changes since President Trump\u2019s recent takeover of the institution.<\/p>\n
But there will be at least one constant in the coming years: The conductor Gianandrea Noseda will stay on as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, one of the center\u2019s flagship groups. Mr. Noseda has extended his contract through at least 2031, the ensemble announced on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Mr. Noseda, 60, the ensemble\u2019s maestro since 2017, said that he felt he still had more to accomplish with the orchestra. He wants the ensemble to tour more often, to commission more pieces and to perform more opera.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have established this kind of mutual trust in our relationship,\u201d Mr. Noseda, whose contract had been set to expire in 2027, said in an interview this week. \u201cIt would have been a pity to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Mr. Trump took over the Kennedy Center last month, purging its board<\/a> of all Biden appointees and installing himself as chairman<\/a>. Deborah F. Rutter<\/a>, the center\u2019s president for more than a decade, was fired. She was credited with luring the highly esteemed Mr. Noseda to the orchestra in what was widely seen as a coup.<\/p>\n After the president\u2019s takeover, Ben Folds, the singer and songwriter, resigned his post as an adviser to the orchestra. The orchestra has stayed largely quiet about the changes; its musicians issued a statement<\/a> saying they were \u201cproud to perform for our patrons, our community in our nation\u2019s capital, and the country at large.\u201d<\/p>\n But some of the drama has spilled over into performances. Last week Mr. Noseda led a concert of works by Shostakovich and Stravinsky that was attended by Vice President JD Vance and the second lady, Usha Vance. The Vances were loudly booed<\/a> as they took their seats in the box tier.<\/p>\n Mr. Noseda said he had not been aware of the booing, which happened before he took the podium. But he said the atmosphere of the concert felt more intense than usual. Mr. Noseda said it was not his duty to judge, but that he felt \u201cmusic should welcome everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Noseda has tried to stay out of politics. Asked about the president\u2019s takeover, he said he was optimistic about the future of the Kennedy Center and its affiliates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIn a situation of not danger, but some drama, we must underline the power of the art and the music,\u201d he said. \u201cThis center will survive me, and it will survive everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n He said music could create a sacred space. \u201cWhen you come here, it\u2019s sort of a holy place \u2014 you keep everything out,\u201d he said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t believe or have your convictions. But when you go to that place, it\u2019s just the place for the music.\u201d<\/p>\n In Washington and elsewhere, Mr. Noseda, general music director of the Zurich Opera House and principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, has earned acclaim for his versatility in the symphonic repertoire and in opera. He has led ambitious recording projects and worked to expand audiences online and in the community.<\/p>\n Joan Bialek, chair of the orchestra\u2019s board, said in a statement that Mr. Noseda had brought the ensemble to \u201cnew heights in the world of classical music.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe lives in the hearts of everyone around him, including the musicians, the N.S.O. staff and every N.S.O. board member,\u201d Ms. Bialek said.<\/p>\n