Girl Named Tom’s performance with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center was a collaborative opportunity of a lifetime. Until it was a political dilemma. Until it was a chance to cry out for justice on a major stage. Until it was postponed indefinitely.

With a new album coming out and a national tour starting in early April — along with a return to NBC’s The Voice — the folk trio of Mennonite siblings Caleb, Joshua and Bekah Liechty found time in March to reflect on getting caught up in controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s dictate to put his name on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.

After growing up in Pettisville, Ohio, as part of Zion Mennonite Church in Archbold, the band won The Voice’s 2021 competition and moved to Nash­ville. Joshua said they developed a relationship with Nashville Symphony’s principal pops conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez.

“He recommended us to the board of the NSO,” he said, in reference to the National Symphony Orchestra. “Then the NSO reached out to us in November of 2025. . . .

“The NSO commissioned four different arrangers around the country to collaborate with us and create orchestral versions of our original music.”

Two dates, Feb. 13 and 14, were shaping up to be a very special Valentine’s Weekend in the nation’s capital.

“When Enrico came to us with an opportunity to play with the National Symphony, we were immediately stoked,” Caleb said. “. . . The fact that the performance happened to be at the Kennedy Center was certainly icing on the cake, until suddenly it very much wasn’t.”

The Kennedy Center’s board, overhauled with Trump appointees since his election as U.S. president, voted Dec. 18 to add Trump’s name to the building, though renaming the memorial to President Kennedy requires congressional approval.

Artists and composers immediately began withdrawing from Kennedy Center commitments as the Trump administration’s deadly immigration enforcement actions increased over the winter.

Girl Named Tom announced their Kennedy Center February performance dates on social media in mid-January, as Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis dominated headlines. The siblings worked to create a statement that balanced recognizing the Trump administration’s actions with the power of music to seek peace. But their commitment to honoring their agreement with the NSO angered fans who expected them to follow the lead of other artists boycotting the renamed Kennedy Center.

In the midst of all this, Caleb’s son was born in late November, significantly impacting what little sleep he could get as he spent days and nights deliberating whether or not to cancel the show — writing, journaling, calling friends, family and mentors.

“In the end, we felt like dodging the stress was also dodging a necessary challenge,” he said. “We and our communities back home are always wanting to ‘do something.’ To call our state representatives is important, yes. To join with the already massive wave of cancellations at the Kennedy Center would be important, yes. To share our music and message in that place and this time — to be gracious, courageous, generous yet subversive — this is what we heard as our unique call in this case.”

Already in November the band was skeptical about being part of what was billed to be “a celebration of America’s 250th birthday.”

“This set off early alarm bells for us Mennonites,” Caleb said. “We were concerned the show could turn into some nationalist celebration of empire. We voiced these concerns in several conversations with the conductor, the programmer and others affiliated with the event.

“We were assured this show would be a celebration of women in American classical music. . . . We listened to all the music being presented and decided our band would indeed be a fitting addition, though we did decline a request that we perform ‘God Bless America’ to close the show.”

Looking back on how they approached their social media announcement, Caleb recognized the public statement was not sufficient. He was depressed and anxious for weeks afterward, feeling like he let down his neighbors, friends, wife and baby son.

“Collectively, it was a very difficult time,” he said. “Although we agreed on the whats and whys — our message, our ethics, our reasons for carrying on — we disagreed on how to communicate this to the world. Social media is a wild place that’s not built for listening or nuance. And yet, at this moment, social media is the best platform we have for communicating to our following.”

Girl Named Tom has not shied away from being political on their accounts. They have shared support for Palestine and horror of Israel’s actions. They supported the Black Lives Matter movement. The band has grown to expect that taking a stand on any position can lead to split reactions and many “unfollows.”

“However, nothing will ever prepare us for the bullying,” Caleb said. “It hurts every time, and yes, as naïve as it sounds, it still surprises me. In this case, we were bullied by the very people who ‘thought we were on their team.’ Their words hurt more than most because — most of the time — I agreed with their truth even as I was cut by the way they chose to speak it.”

The band attempted a second message in early February on social media, but the resulting comments mostly split along the same polarized lines of support or criticism for getting political at all.

Meanwhile, Girl Named Tom was hard at work crafting a Kennedy Center setlist packed with intention. Bekah said the opening song would have been “Impossible Heights,” which speaks to anxieties of being a human, especially one who cares and tries.

“Before singing ‘Trophy,’ we were going to say, ‘We wrote this song when we were feeling unwanted by the music industry, and we sing it now as millions of people are feeling unwanted in our country. May they find rest, knowing they do belong,’ ” she said. “Before singing ‘Dust in the Wind,’ we were going to implore that ‘empires fall. Be careful what you build. Be careful where your priorities lie. Money? Power? Greed? The wind will laugh.’ ”

The band’s original song “Wish You Were Here” and Joni Mitchell’s “Urge for Going” speak to longing as the band connected the themes to siblings in a hurting global family.

“Our last words for the night were to be ‘we are for each other’ as we sang [Crosby, Stills & Nash’s] ‘Helplessly Hoping,’ ” she said. “This is the hardest part to live out. It’s also the most important. It’s going to take all of us. I know we all think we’re on the ‘right side of history’ and we’re all doing our best. But we have to remember that ‘we are for each other’ must also include the people who do not hold the same beliefs that you do. We are American citizens, yes. But before that, we are brothers and sisters of the world.

“Do I think we could’ve convinced the president to step down by singing? No. But do I know in my heart that we can be a part of a domino effect in the right direction? Absolutely. And with this faith, I will continue.”

Then came one more twist.

“Exactly a week before we were going to be performing on stage, I received a call [Feb. 6] from the NSO programmer saying the show had been ‘postponed,’ ” Joshua said. “Now after some back and forths, it is clear the event won’t ever look the same. We’ll hopefully perform something with the NSO at some point down the road, but it will be in a completely different capacity.”

Caleb added: “We were told that the shows were ‘not feasible in this climate.’ ”

The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Kennedy Center ticket sales since Trump added his name to the building dropped 70% from the same period in the last three years. An early February NSO performance with rock band Radiohead was only slightly above 20% capacity.

Trump announced Feb. 1 the building will close July 4 for two years of renovations, less than a decade after $250 million was spent on the facility during his first term in 2019.

“The flights were bought, family and friends were coming to the show, the outfits were pressed, and then the plug was pulled,” Bekah said. “Josh and I still decided to go to D.C. — Caleb didn’t choose to fly because of his little baby. We took a tour of the Kennedy Center before further changes are made to this structurally sound building. I have seen a lot of crumbling theaters and performance halls across the country, and let me tell you, the Kennedy Center is in no need of renovations.

“We sat down with the programmer. He clearly knew our temperature and told us that the first family [of Donald and Melania Trump] had been invited to our performance, and that if we would have done as much as say ‘we’re honored to be here at the Kennedy Center’ from the stage — which we most certainly would have — there would have been problems.”

The tumult continued a few weeks later when NSO executive director Jean Davidson announced her departure on March 6. She told the Los Angeles Times she found it “more and more difficult” to remain at the Kennedy Center “given the external forces that are at work that are just so far beyond my control.”

Though the concert is postponed, and Girl Named Tom hopes to reschedule with the NSO at a different venue, the events gave the Liechty siblings a chance to reflect on what role their band has to play in divisive cultural times.

“Maybe I’m naïve. In fact, I know I am. But I truly believe that we can turn ‘swords into plowshares’ and ‘words of hate’ into songs of love,” Bekah said. “And this doesn’t happen with inaction. That’s why we were going to sing.

“I do get discouraged by people saying, ‘Oh bless your heart, honey, that won’t work.’ Well, it certainly won’t work if I don’t try. So I will show up. I will stand firm and speak my mind. I will be bold in doing my part to add my voice to the chorus that speaks for the oppressed. My voice is the only weapon I wield. This is our way of fighting the good fight.

“As the Kennedy Center went under the orange thumb, I felt even more compelled to sing, because it is our endeavor as Girl Named Tom that our music be a part of positive change. We have added our voices to movements before, and we will again. I will march on March 28 in Nashville for ‘No Kings,’ and I will continue living with integrity and intention, writing songs that unify people and resist undemocratic rule.”

Caleb said he understands the sentiment that musicians, especially Mennonite ones, should just stick to music.

“It costs money, time and energy to go to a concert. Who wants to be inundated by political rhetoric when they’ve been consumed by it all day?” he asked. “Music can bring a peace and joy that’s rare in the rest of society. We try to avoid over-explanation and preachiness. . . . However, there are moments when simply existing is political.

“In our understanding, this has been an age-old dilemma for other Mennonites, too, whether or not to engage in politics. Many of our ancestors made the choice not to vote in an attempt to keep ‘the kingdom of God’ at the center of their lives as compared to Earthly kingdoms. While we don’t want GNT to necessarily be a ‘political band,’ we also want to embrace opportunities to seek peace or justice, privately or publicly. In a world that’s increasingly reactionary and quick to label, patient discernment is difficult.”

And each member of the band, each sibling, has their own personal reasons.

“My wife Karis is Palestinian. Clearly her existence in my life powerfully factors into my thirst for justice,” Caleb said. “Playing the Kennedy Center as if it’s a normal show would have meant I’m complicit with the administration. To be complicit with this administration is a direct affront to my wife.

“I am so, so grateful for her wisdom, her experience, the lens through which she sees the world. She helps me remember to constantly look out for the oppressed and stay ever passionate about liberation and justice.”

Joshua added that as a trio that sings in both harmony and unison, the Liechtys hope people can recognize they are all more alike than different.

“We like to think that singing in harmony empowers people to want to live in harmony,” he said. “That being said, it is impossible to live in harmony if some groups feel unwanted or are under direct attack. When we speak up about this, these messages intended to unify and make everyone feel included often are perceived as divisive.

“We’ve learned that we will never make everyone happy. So our job is to be unwavering and brave in our stance on inclusion and justice and try to find words and sing melodies that have the potential to break down barriers and soften hearts. In order to do that, we ourselves have to keep our hearts open.”

Fans can hear those melodies for themselves when Girl Named Tom hits the road April 8 to Aug. 7 in support of their new album, Dust to Dust, released April 2.

“We’ve been working on this album for over a year,” Joshua said. “All the songs are originals except for one. My favorite part about putting this album together was the fact that we had more control than ever before. We got to pick all of the songs, we got to work with our band to create the arrangements ourselves. We got to dream up the visuals for the album cover and bring it to life.”

“We went through three years of not being able to put out music, so we are playing catch-up,” added Caleb about a rocky relationship with Republic Records. “You’ll hear songs we wrote six years ago alongside songs we wrote just months ago. We are thrilled that we get to finally release these old originals that our fans have been calling for for years.”

Girl Named Tom is supported on tour by Andrew Pauls of ­Lancaster, Pa., who attends East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church and — like ­Caleb and Joshua Liechty — attended ­Goshen College. His new album, Good Things, coming this fall, contains themes of peace and justice.

The band has also been busy with a return to national television.

“The Voice has been very good to us,” Bekah said. We were honored to be invited back in 2022 to sing our original Christmas song, a year after we won, and we were honored that Kelly Clarkson invited us to compete for her team in the “Battle of the Champions” that will come into play at the end of this season.

“Be on the lookout for our performance! It was so much fun to have mom and a very pregnant Karis in the audience cheering us on, and to be reunited with Kelly. She is so very kind and encouraging to us! It’s humbling to have her support.”