The Kennedy Center’s National Symphony Orchestra ‘Is in Real Trouble,’ Ben Folds Says — Here’s How We Can Help

Jun 2, 2026 12:48pm PT The Kennedy Center’s National Symphony Orchestra ‘Is in Real Trouble,’ Ben Folds Says — Here’s How We Can Help

By Jem Aswad

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Jem Aswad

Executive Editor, Music

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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 09: The National Symphony Orchestra performs at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC on February 09, 2024. (Photo by Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The National Symphony Orchestra performs at the Kennedy Center, February 2024 (Photo: Craig Hudson for the Washington Post via Getty Images)

For all the stigma and turmoil that President Trump has brought onto the Kennedy Center, the people who are most harmed are the people who work there — including the National Symphony Orchestra, the very existence of which is imperiled by the callousness and confusion surrounding the president’s attempted takeover of the organization (which, of course, was overruled last week by a Federal District Court judge).

Singer-songwriter-pianist Ben Folds, who was an artistic advisor to the NSO for nearly a decade, has written an impassioned letter detailing the orchestra’s plight and how the public can help. It appears in full below.