Violinist Hilary Hahn and cellist Seth Parker Woods have withdrawn from their scheduled appearances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in March, where they were due to give the world premiere of a new work by Carlos Simon.
The performances, set for 12, 13 and 14 March, were to feature Simon’s Double Concerto Suite for violin, cello and orchestra with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Gianandrea Noseda.
In a public message shared on social media, Woods confirmed that he and Hahn had decided to step back from the concerts. “We are sorry to not be with our friends and colleagues at the National Symphony Orchestra and hope to perform with them again in the future,” he wrote.
The Kennedy Center has since updated its programme information. The concerts will proceed with NSO associate concertmaster Ying Fu and assistant principal cellist Raymond Tsai assuming the solo parts.
The withdrawal follows other recent high-profile changes at the Washington venue. Composer Philip Glass recently announced that he would withdraw the premiere of his Lincoln Symphony, citing a “direct conflict” between the institution’s values and the message of the work.
For Hahn, the announcement also comes shortly after her return to performance following a prolonged period of recovery from injury. Throughout 2025, she cancelled numerous engagements before resuming concert activity earlier this season.
No further statement has been issued regarding a future presentation of Simon’s concerto with the originally announced soloists.
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