Kennedy Center Names Rick Canny as Artistic Director

The Kennedy Center has named music-industry veteran Rick Canny as its artistic director, giving him responsibility for programming strategy while the Washington institution faces a contested closure and questions about its future.

Canny has represented or worked with rock acts including ZZ Top, Whitesnake, Tommy Lee and Scott Stapp. He had already served as a consultant to the center through his firm, Favor the Artist, before moving into the newly announced leadership role.

What Rick Canny will oversee at the Kennedy Center

In an internal announcement reviewed by NPR, executive director Matt Floca said Canny will advise senior leadership on artistic strategy, talent curation, ticketing and pricing, media opportunities and programming sponsorships. He will continue consulting through his company while serving as artistic director.

The appointment places a manager and concert promoter with deep experience in rock music at the center of a broad performing-arts institution. The Kennedy Center traditionally presents theater, dance, opera, orchestral music, jazz and contemporary entertainment, making the range of future programming a closely watched question.

Canny’s background includes work as a talent buyer, promoter and executive at an artist-management company. Artforum reported that he will lead programming and advise Floca on ticketing, media and sponsorship decisions. The outlet also noted concerns about his limited experience in several disciplines long associated with the center.

An appointment made during institutional uncertainty

The job begins under unusual circumstances. The main Kennedy Center building is currently closed to the public, while plans for a proposed two-year renovation remain tied up in federal litigation. Limited public and educational programming is expected to continue, and the Reach annex remains open.

The center said in a statement reported by Artforum that it still needs to curate work during infrastructure upgrades and prepare a strong reopening season. That makes Canny’s remit both immediate and long-range: maintain a cultural presence during disruption, then help rebuild an audience when the main venue returns.

NPR also reported that some staff members had raised concerns about consulting fees and travel expenses charged before the appointment. The center confirmed the contents of the leadership email but did not answer NPR’s questions about those concerns; it separately said a cited $30,000 fee did not reflect Canny’s current agreement.

No complete programming slate accompanied the announcement, leaving Canny’s first major bookings as the clearest test of how the institution’s artistic direction may change.