The MeidasTouch Podcast Ben Folds Responds to Performers Leaving Kennedy Center
9 snips
Jan 11, 2026 
In this engaging conversation, Ben Folds, the iconic singer-songwriter and former frontman of Ben Folds Five, shares insights following his resignation as an artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra. He reflects on the recent wave of resignations at the Kennedy Center, viewing the board changes as an authoritarian threat to the arts. Folds underscores the necessity for artists to express truthfully in challenging times and draws historical parallels with renowned artists who sought refuge from oppression.
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Authoritarian Move Against The Arts
- Ben Folds sees the Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center as an authoritarian first step targeting arts and free expression.
- He warns cultural control often precedes broader attacks on media and dissent.
Appointments Were About Control Not Expertise
- Ben Folds argues the appointments lacked arts administration experience and the goal was takeover, not stewardship.
- He says that turning cultural institutions into propaganda targets undermines their missions.
Rostropovich's Refuge In The NSO
- Ben Folds recounts Rostropovich ("Slava") leading the National Symphony Orchestra after fleeing the Soviet Union.
- He contrasts that history of refuge and artistic freedom with the Kennedy Center's current takeover.
