INTERVIEW: Scenes from the Kennedy Center's Onegin VIP red carpet
"That’s the most fun part about what Ric’s done: he’s been able to look for ways to take this amazing Kennedy Center and bring it back," SyberJet CEO Trevor Milton told the Washington Reporter.
The Kennedy Center made history once again — this time by bringing the historic Stuttgart Ballet back to Washington, D.C.’s premier arts center for the first time in 33 years for a performance of the renowned show Onegin.
The Washington Reporter was on site as VIPs swarmed the red carpet, and they shared their thoughts about what the Kennedy Center is like under the new leadership of President Donald Trump and Ambassador Richard Grenell.
Grenell was on site for the festivities, and he was joined by Trevor Milton, the CEO of SyberJet Aircraft, who sponsored the red carpet event.
“We would not be here if it wasn’t for the vision of President Trump deciding that the arts needed an infusion of corporate sponsors, and that’s kind of the vision that President Trump has,” Grenell told the Reporter. “You can fix the Kennedy Center’s financial problems if you can fix the programming and bring back big, common sense programming. Then you’re going to attract corporate America…Remember, we had Booz Allen host The Sound of Music, and now we have SyberJet that’s here as one of our leading entrepreneurial corporate sponsors with the Stuttgart Ballet.”
Milton explained to the Reporter why sponsoring both the red carpet and the lounge is important for both him and for SyberJet.
“The arts have really been struggling, and SyberJet’s all about innovation and speed, and we really wanted to bring the same innovation and speed over to the Kennedy Center too,” Milton explained. Working with Grenell and Grenell’s team, Milton said, “has been awesome.”
“Bringing some of the private companies in to really help push innovation here and push the goal of bringing this entire facility back to one of the top of the world is what we’re doing,” he added. “That’s the most fun part about what Ric’s done: he’s been able to look for ways to take this amazing Kennedy Center and bring it back.”
“Trevor,” Grenell said, “was very interested in helping with the Stuttgart Ballet simply because we have tens of thousands of American military men and women who serve in Germany in Stuttgart who have American children born in Stuttgart. Stuttgart is the cutting edge place for the American military...it sends a worldwide message.”
For Grenell, who currently serves as both President of the Kennedy Center and as the Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, the event was a “great homecoming”; during the first Trump administration, Grenell had many hats — but one of them was serving as America’s Ambassador to Germany.
“For me, this is a great homecoming, because so many Americans have poured themselves into so many Americans have poured themselves into all of the American military bases throughout Bavaria,” Grenell said. “To have the Stuttgart Ballet here at the Kennedy Center is another crown jewel. They haven’t been here in decades.”
“Everyone is welcome here. We want to roll out the red carpet so that every single person feels like this is a place where they can come and enjoy the arts, and having the ability to bring all of Washington together to talk about the horrors of the last two years” was critical to him.
Another VIP on the red carpet was Kari Lake, who currently serves as the Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media; she added that what she “love[s] most about the Kennedy Center is that it has become a space for everyone.” The Kennedy Center’s new leadership — namely Trump and Grenell — have repeatedly emphasized that the Kennedy Center is now open for everyone.
For her part, Lake emphasized that as well. “If you are a Democrat, you are welcome,” she said. “If you are a Republican — or if you don’t even care about politics — you are welcome there. I credit this completely to the work of President Trump and Kennedy Center President Grenell.”
“The results speak for themselves,” she added. “The Sound of Music was incredible and the historic Stuttgart Ballet jumped at the chance to return to this incredible venue after 33 years away.”
Those who walked the red carpet were pressed on both the Kennedy Center’s shows and the latest controversies roiling the arts world — namely the decision by the NFL to host Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl.
One — Victoria Garrastacho — was a first timer to the red carpet scene, but she nevertheless took press questions head on. Garrastacho, who was dressed to the nines, explained why she’s adamant that Bad Bunny should perform at the halftime show: “I love his music. I’ve been a fan since 2016 when he was a little more niche; now he’s one of the biggest artists in the world.”
But she doesn’t want the Kennedy Center to try and book him just yet. “We should enjoy the ballet first and foremost, and then let’s wait until February to see how he performs, but never say never,” Garrastacho said.
In her remarks to the Reporter, Garrastacho echoed what many have said about the leadership of Trump and Grenell, who have both prioritized hosting family friendly shows and eliminating DEI programming from the legendary arts center.
“This is my first time ever under new leadership, and I’m very excited,” she said. “I see the difference already; I’ve heard great things.”