Plácido Domingo has issued a public response to The Washington Post following a front-page article that connected his leadership of the Washington National Opera (WNO) to the company’s financial difficulties and recent separation from the Kennedy Center.
In a letter to the editor, Domingo states that the newspaper published its article — titled “Major opera left Kennedy Center after a forced face-off” — before the deadline he had been given to respond to questions. He writes that the piece appeared to establish him as the central cause of the company’s present challenges.
“For the second time, I am writing to the editor of The Post,” Domingo begins, adding that he now feels compelled to “set the record straight.”
Domingo defends his tenure
Domingo served as artistic director and later general director of the WNO from 1996 to 2011. In his letter, he argues that during those years the company experienced artistic growth, strong attendance and substantial sponsorship support.
He rejects suggestions that he was responsible for dismissals within the organisation, stating that he never fired staff members, including former executive director Mark Weinstein, whose departure he says was a decision taken by the board.
Addressing financial concerns, Domingo acknowledges that deficits occurred but notes that many American performing arts institutions operate in an environment heavily dependent on private sponsorship rather than fixed public funding. He maintains that benefactors supported the company because they believed in its artistic vision.
When the board requested reductions in production plans, he writes, he complied.
Financial pressures and institutional tensions
The Washington Post’s article reported that in certain seasons the company ran multi-million-dollar deficits and at times drew from endowment funds to offset shortfalls. It also suggested that Domingo’s artistic ambitions aimed to position the WNO on a level comparable to larger institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera.
Earlier this year, the WNO formally separated from the Kennedy Center following governance and financial disagreements, ending a long-standing institutional relationship. The split has prompted renewed scrutiny of the company’s financial history and leadership decisions over the past decades.
Legacy and broader debate
In concluding his letter, Domingo argues that “dismantling the past does not benefit opera in the U.S.,” warning that public disaffection could further weaken already fragile arts institutions.
His response reopens discussion not only about the WNO’s trajectory but also about how artistic ambition, financial sustainability and personal leadership intersect in major opera companies. As the WNO navigates its post-Kennedy Center future, the debate over its past leadership remains part of the broader conversation about opera’s structural challenges in the United States.
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