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The Kennedy Center\u2019s flagship opera company and symphony orchestra announced Thursday that they plan to present robust and fairly typical programs next season, the first full season since President Trump took over the institution<\/a>.<\/p>\n But one prominent work was missing from the lineup: Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce\u2019s \u201cFellow Travelers<\/a>,\u201d an opera set in the 1950s about two men working for the government who become lovers. The work was withdrawn by its creators because of concerns about Mr. Trump\u2019s takeover<\/a>, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times.<\/p>\n Washington National Opera said the 2025-26 season would include classics like Verdi\u2019s \u201cAida\u201d and less commonly heard works like \u201cTreemonisha,\u201d an opera by the ragtime composer Scott Joplin. The National Symphony Orchestra is planning warhorses by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich and world premieres by Carlos Simon, the Kennedy Center\u2019s composer in residence; Valerie Coleman; and others.<\/p>\n In a sign of the political sensitives at the Kennedy Center, the leaders of the opera and the symphony declined to be interviewed about the new season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The center has been in flux since Mr. Trump purged its previously bipartisan board of Biden appointees and had himself elected chairman. The president\u2019s actions have prompted an outcry, leading some artists to cancel engagements there in protest. The musical \u201cHamilton\u201d scrapped a planned tour there next year<\/a>.<\/p>\n The classical field, in which seasons are planned years in advance, has largely been unaffected. But the creators of \u201cFellow Travelers,\u201d an opera based on the 2007 novel by Thomas Mallon, confirmed this week that they were pulling the work, which was supposed to have its Washington premiere next year.<\/p>\n The creators said in a recent letter to Washington National Opera that Mr. Trump\u2019s takeover ran counter to the values of \u201cfreedom and liberty for all people\u201d that are highlighted in the opera. \u201cWe have made the impossibly difficult decision that the Kennedy Center is not a place the team feels comfortable having the work presented,\u201d said the letter.<\/p>\n In a statement, the leaders of Washington National Opera, Tim O\u2019Leary and Francesca Zambello, said they were disappointed by the decision to withdraw \u201cFellow Travelers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe deeply regret that the creative team of \u2018Fellow Travelers\u2019 has decided to deprive W.N.O. audiences of the chance to experience this opera,\u201d Mr. O\u2019Leary and Ms. Zambello said. \u201cArt and music have the power to rise above division and bring people together to find common ground. The W.N.O. has long been a place for everyone to enjoy the power of the opera and it will remain a place for patrons of all backgrounds and beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFellow Travelers,\u201d which is set in Washington and premiered at Cincinnati Opera in 2016<\/a>, will be replaced by a new production of Robert Ward\u2019s \u201cThe Crucible.\u201d It will be conducted by Robert Spano<\/a> as part of his inaugural season as the opera company\u2019s music director.<\/p>\n The season announcement came as the Kennedy Center undergoes significant change under Richard Grenell<\/a>, a former ambassador to Germany, whom Mr. Trump appointed as the Kennedy Center\u2019s new president.<\/p>\n This week, the center gutted a community outreach program known as Social Impact, firing several employees and deleting some references to the program on its website. The program had worked to expand the audience for opera and symphony performances; to commission works by underrepresented voices; and to \u201cadvance justice and equity.\u201d (The Trump administration has shuttered many diversity-themed efforts across the federal government.)<\/p>\n Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who was dismissed as a vice president at the center who oversaw Social Impact, lamented the end of the programs. \u201cThey were wildly successful, they were growing, there was a positive trajectory,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cThere was no evidence at all that the programs were a detriment to the institution.\u201d<\/p>\n The Kennedy Center did not respond to a request for comment about the cuts. But Donna Arduin, the center\u2019s new chief financial officer, wrote in a letter to staff on Wednesday that the center was facing serious fiscal challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cThe road out of this economic environment will not be easy and the shift will be felt across the center,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Grenell, in a social media post<\/a> on Wednesday, said the center would begin by \u201ccutting executive pay and downsizing the staff where possible.\u201d<\/p>\n