The Kennedy Center names new artistic director, amid concerns

The blocked-off entrance to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 1. The center has been shut to the public since September. Saul Loeb/AFP/via Getty Images hide caption

Saul Loeb/AFP/via Getty Images

The Kennedy Center has named Rick Canny, a talent manager who has worked with acts including ZZ Top and former Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, as its new artistic director. His appointment came despite complaints from staff about his business practices as a consultant for the arts institution.

According to an email obtained by NPR sent to high-level staff Thursday, Matt Floca, the center's executive director and chief operating officer, announced that Canny would be the center's new artistic director. Canny has served as a consultant to the Kennedy Center since shortly after President Trump became the institution's chairman in February 2025.

Floca has no background in arts administration, programming or fundraising, in contrast to chief administrators at similar performing arts venues around the country. He was previously head of facilities at the Kennedy Center before being promoted in March, and holds a degree in construction management.

Floca wrote: "Rick will advise me and the broader leadership team on artistic strategy, business practices, presenting and talent curation, ticketing and pricing models, media opportunities, and programming sponsorships."

Floca also wrote: "Since April 2025, Rick has worked with the Center as a consultant through his firm, Favor the Artist, including serving as creative lead for the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize. He will continue in this capacity while serving as the Center's Artistic Director."

Concerns about fees and expense

The Kennedy Center is mostly closed, but it says it will maintain a small amount of public and educational programming, while the entire closure is being contested in federal court. The previous head of programming came and left within two weeks in January.

Arts administrators around the country have told NPR that booking performances for performing arts centers is done years in advance.

The Kennedy Center did not respond to NPR's requests for comment on Canny's appointment, but confirmed the contents of the email. Canny also did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Favor the Artist's website does not include any information about its client roster or about the firm's history. The published lists of his professional background indicate that Canny has little experience in programming the kinds of performers more typically booked at a venue such as the Kennedy Center, including marquee contemporary solo performers and groups, orchestras, and dance and theater troupes.

NPR has obtained an internal memo written in March by the center's then-senior director of music programming, Sammy Miller, raising concerns about fees and expenses charged by Canny. NPR has reached out to Miller for comment, but did not receive a reply.

In that memo, sent to Floca and the Kennedy Center's human resources department, Miller said that during one month in early 2026, Canny had charged the center $30,000 in consulting fees. And in another month, Canny had charged over $28,000 in fees and travel expenses, including two first-class round-trip flights between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

The Kennedy Center did not reply to NPR's request for comment regarding staff concerns about Canny. In a statement to The New York Times on Friday, the center said that the $30,000 fee "did not reflect Mr. Canny's current agreement," but did not provide specifics. The institution also told the Times that Canny's travel expenses had been reviewed.

Miller wrote that he had previously tried to resolve his concerns through the center's general counsel and its finance office, but "both offices appear to be protecting Mr. Canny."

In its recent public statements and court filings, the Kennedy Center has repeatedly claimed to be on the verge of bankruptcy. Last month, Trump said that the arts institution has lost "hundreds of millions" of dollars. Trump has not offered evidence to support that claim.

The Kennedy Center remains shut to the public while Trump and the center's board, most of whom were hand-selected by the president, fight in a federal court to shutter the institution for two years for a large-scale renovation. Last month, Trump threatened to tear down the center if his name is not prominently displayed on the building.