NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Kennedy Center Official Steps Down

Marta Istomin resigned as artistic director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, citing “a considerable philosophical difference” with new chairman James D. Wolfensohn. In a letter to Wolfensohn, Istomin, the widow of cellist Pablo Casals, expressed resentment at the chairman’s recent criticism of the center’s programming under her stewardship for the last 10 years. In turn, she attacked Wolfensohn’s plans for a series of ambitious performing arts festivals as “quickly expiring fireworks.”