Kennedy Center names Rick Canny artistic director as shuttered venue faces financial and leadership turmoil

The Kennedy Center has named Rick Canny, a Los Angeles-based talent manager whose clients have included ZZ Top and Tommy Lee, as its new artistic director — a move that gives him a central role in reshaping the institution while its main building remains closed and its future is being contested in court.

The appointment was announced to senior staff in an email from Matt Floca, the center’s executive director and chief operating officer. Floca said Canny would advise the leadership team on artistic strategy, talent curation, ticketing and pricing, media opportunities, sponsorships and programming.

Canny has worked with the Kennedy Center as an outside consultant since April 2025 through his firm, Favor the Artist. He has also served as creative lead for the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize. The center said he will continue that consulting work while holding the artistic director position.

That combination of responsibilities is significant because the Kennedy Center is not operating under normal conditions. Its main building has been closed since September, while the institution’s board and President Donald Trump, who became chairman in 2025, pursue a large renovation plan and defend the shutdown amid litigation. The Reach, an annex on the campus, has continued limited programming.

The center’s leadership has also warned that the institution is facing severe financial pressure. In recent public statements and court filings, officials have described the organization as approaching bankruptcy. Trump has said the center lost “hundreds of millions” of dollars, though reporting has not established independent evidence for that figure.

Canny’s appointment has prompted questions from employees and arts administrators about both his experience and the center’s business relationship with him. Canny’s background is primarily in representing commercial music acts. That is different from the traditional remit of a major multidisciplinary performing-arts institution, which typically books and supports orchestras, opera companies, dance troupes, theater productions and large-scale contemporary artists.

An internal memo obtained by NPR raised concerns about fees and expenses connected to Canny’s consulting work. The memo said the Kennedy Center paid $30,000 in consulting fees during one month early in 2026 and more than $28,000 in fees and travel expenses during another month. The center told The New York Times that the $30,000 figure did not reflect Canny’s current agreement, said his compensation would not increase as a result of the appointment and said his travel expenses had been reviewed.

Those allegations have not been adjudicated publicly, and neither Canny nor the Kennedy Center provided NPR with detailed responses to its requests for comment. The concerns nevertheless matter because the new artistic director will be operating inside an institution already under pressure to control costs, retain donors and rebuild relationships with artists and audiences.

The timing also creates a practical challenge. Performing-arts venues generally arrange major bookings well in advance, meaning a future Kennedy Center season cannot be rebuilt quickly once the building reopens. Canny’s immediate test will therefore be less about announcing a single headline performance than demonstrating that the center can assemble a credible artistic program, restore confidence among performers and donors, and do so with transparent financial oversight.

The appointment comes after a period of rapid turnover. The center’s previous head of programming left after roughly two weeks in January, and Floca — who previously led facilities — was promoted to the top operational role in March. Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony is scheduled to move to Capital One Arena for its 2026 presentation because of the continuing closure.

What Canny ultimately programs will help determine whether the Kennedy Center becomes a more commercially oriented venue, returns to its established mix of national and international performing arts, or attempts some combination of the two. For now, the appointment offers a leadership plan for a reopening that remains uncertain.