More staff shakeups at the Kennedy Center

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Performing Arts
More staff shakeups at the Kennedy Center

January 29, 2026 2:55 PM ET
By Anastasia Tsioulcas, Elizabeth Blair


A recently installed sign at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as photographed on Jan. 10. The center's name change has not been approved by Congress.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Two senior staffers have departed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. — one of whom was officially on the job for less than two weeks.

Kevin Couch had been announced as the Kennedy Center's new senior vice president of artistic planning on Jan. 16, at which point he was hailed as a "visionary entertainment leader" with "over two decades of experience in artist management, global booking and high-level brand partnerships," including booking live events in San Antonio, Tulsa, Little Rock and Springfield, Mo. ... Couch, who is a drummer, confirmed to NPR on Wednesday evening that he had resigned from the federally funded center, but declined to share any details.

Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center's senior director of artistic operations, Sarah Kramer, confirmed to NPR on Wednesday evening that she had been fired after a decade working there. ... The Kennedy Center did not respond to NPR's multiple requests for comment.

Since President Trump became chair of the performing arts complex and later moved to change its name to the Trump Kennedy Center, several prominent artists have canceled their planned performances and presentations of their work. Cancellations announced this month include the composer Philip Glass, opera star Renée Fleming, the banjo player Bela Fleck and the Seattle Children's Theatre. The Kennedy Center has told NPR in prior statements that the artists cancelling have been doing so under pressure from "leftist activists."

{snip}