Kennedy Center Names Rick Canny, a Rock-Band Talent Manager, Artistic Director Amid Fee Complaints
A March internal memo flagged $30,000 in monthly consulting fees and first-class flights billed by Canny, who will keep his consulting role while running programming at a venue that is mostly closed.
The Kennedy Center has named Rick Canny, a talent manager whose past clients include ZZ Top and former Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, as its new artistic director, NPR reported. The appointment came despite complaints from staff about his business practices as a consultant to the arts institution.
According to an email obtained by NPR that was sent to senior staff Thursday, Matt Floca, the center's executive director and chief operating officer, announced the hire. Canny has consulted for the Kennedy Center since shortly after President Donald Trump became its chairman in February 2025. Floca wrote that Canny will advise him and the leadership team on "artistic strategy, business practices, presenting and talent curation, ticketing and pricing models, media opportunities, and programming sponsorships."
Floca also wrote that Canny has worked with the center since April 2025 through his firm, Favor the Artist, including as creative lead for the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize, and will continue in that capacity while serving as artistic director. Floca has no background in arts administration, programming or fundraising, unlike chief administrators at comparable venues. He was previously head of facilities and was promoted in March. He holds a degree in construction management.
NPR obtained an internal memo written in March by Sammy Miller, then the center's senior director of music programming, raising concerns about Canny's fees and expenses. Miller wrote that in one month in early 2026 Canny charged the center $30,000 in consulting fees, and that in another month he charged more than $28,000 in fees and travel, including two first-class round-trip flights between Los Angeles and Washington. Miller said he had tried to resolve his concerns through the general counsel and finance office, but "both offices appear to be protecting Mr. Canny."
The Kennedy Center did not respond to NPR's requests for comment on the appointment or the staff concerns. In a statement to The New York Times on Friday, it said the $30,000 fee "did not reflect Mr. Canny's current agreement" but gave no specifics, and said his travel expenses had been reviewed. Canny did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Favor the Artist's website does not list clients or a company history, and published accounts of Canny's career show little experience booking the kinds of acts a major performing arts center typically presents, such as marquee solo performers, orchestras, and dance and theater companies. Arts administrators told NPR that bookings at such venues are made years in advance.
The hire comes while the Kennedy Center's main building is mostly closed. The center says it will keep a small amount of public and educational programming while the closure is contested in federal court. Trump and the board, most of whom he selected, are fighting in court to shut the building for two years for a large-scale renovation. The previous head of programming came and left within two weeks in January.
The center has repeatedly said in public statements and court filings that it is close to bankruptcy. Last month Trump said it had lost "hundreds of millions" of dollars, a claim he has not backed with evidence. He has also threatened to tear the building down if his name is not prominently displayed on it.
