BY JOSH DAVISNorth Country This Week

When he learned that Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts would bar drag performances from its prestigious stage, Crane School of Music trumpet Professor Dr. Luke Spence began work on a protest. 

Spence is the General Manager for the International Pride Orchestra, which staged a dramatically patriotic, drag-filled performance in Bethesda, MD  last Thursday, June 5 after plans to play at the Kennedy Center fell through amid pushback from the Trump administration on LGBT+ events. 

The IPO is a performing group comprised of LGBT+ and ally musicians with a mission to raise awareness and funds for associated local and national causes. 

President Donald J. Trump assumed control of the Kennedy Center in February as its Board Chair and fired much of its leadership, replacing those people with his own selections and posting on X that the arts center would bar “anti-American propaganda” and ensure “no more drag shows,” in all capital letters, would take place under his leadership. 

Spence said his organization had been in daily talks with the Kennedy Center “for months” when he learned of the “disinvitation,” which he described as “a huge slap in the face for us.”

Spence said he was working with IPO Director Michael Roest to bring the orchestra to the famed national venue when  received a  “disturbing one sentence email” from the director declaring “we are not in a position at this time to advance a contract.”

“As insulting as it was, it wasn’t the least bit surprising,” Spence added. 

Spence said that he expected resistance from the Trump administration over his orchestra’s programming, and was quick to begin seeking an alternate venue. 

“We saw this coming a mile away,” Spence said, adding that his experience as a Maryland native helped him pick Bethesda’s Music Center at Strathmore, which he described as “incredibly welcoming to events like this.” 

“It felt like a no-brainer to ask,” he added. 

Spence said that the ensuing Strathmore performance was “of course influenced by the events that took place.”

The program featured traditional patriotic music interspersed and concluding with drag performances, and also featured the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. 

Spence described the performance as a “fierce rebuttal to Donald Trump’s divisive actions,” and said “given the circumstances, we went all out on this year’s program.” 

Spence, appearing as drag persona “Val Voyl” (an in-joke for trumpeters), marched the aisles with other drag performers toting American and Pride flags, recalling “we really leaned into the Americana and patriotism of it all,” performing classic American works from composers like Aaron Copland and George Gershwin. 

“It was important for us to remind folks that patriotism isn’t just for people on the right,” Spence said. 

The Orchestra Manager said the reception in Bethesda was “electric,” with a crowd of nearly 1,200 people setting an attendance record for the IPO. 

Spence said many in attendance were moved to tears during the drag-infused finale of “America the Beautiful.”

When asked if the performance was intentionally created as an act of defiance toward the Trump administration and the wider movement to repeal diversity programs nationally, Spence responded, “oh, you bet.” 

He said that “after Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover, we talked a bit about what we’d do if the show still went on there,” and concluded after “a very short conversation” that “they would have made us water it down and sanitize it to their liking.” 

“There’s no way we would allow ourselves to be censored,” Spence said. 

Instead, the performers elected to “double down and be louder in the Bethesda performance. 

“Our answer to being pushed around by the administration was not to self-censor,” Spence explained. 

He said that defiance was also the reason he decided to perform the concert in full drag, an experience he described as both inspiring and an unexpectedly powerful form of protest. 

Reflecting on the Bethesda performance, Spence said “the funny thing is that Trump’s actions literally made this more successful than it otherwise would have been. It was a blessing in disguise.”

“Playing at the Kennedy Center is great…but getting disinvited?  You can’t buy that kind of publicity!”

Help St. Lawrence County Stay Connected!

We’re glad you read this article reported by the staff of NorthCountryNow.com.

If you haven’t done so already, please consider subscribing to ensure you have full access to all the news and info about St. Lawrence County.

Your subscriptions make it possible for us to provide trustworthy local news, promote our many community events, and encourage community dialogue.

Please click here to subscribe today!