Washington National Opera has announced that it will end its long-standing affiliation with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and move its performances to alternative venues in Washington, D.C., bringing to a close a relationship that dates back to 1971.
The decision, approved by the opera company’s board of trustees in early January, comes amid a period of sustained turbulence at the Kennedy Center following changes in leadership, governance, and public identity. While both institutions agree that the partnership is coming to an end, they have offered different accounts of how and why the separation occurred.
Differing narratives on the decision
In a public letter marking the start of its 70th anniversary year, the Washington National Opera said it would seek an early termination of its affiliation agreement and resume operations as a fully independent, non-profit organisation. The company cited structural and operational incompatibilities, particularly regarding funding models, programming development, and administrative support.
According to the opera, recent requirements that productions be fully underwritten in advance through ticket sales and confirmed contributions are incompatible with how opera companies typically function. Opera seasons, the company noted, are planned years ahead, while a significant portion of funding traditionally materialises much later in the process.
By contrast, Kennedy Center leadership has framed the move as a decision to end an exclusive partnership in order to gain greater artistic and financial flexibility. In a statement and subsequent social media posts, the Center argued that maintaining a resident opera company had become financially unsustainable and limited its ability to present a broader range of international productions.
Richard Grenell, who currently leads the Kennedy Center, said the exclusive arrangement required substantial financial support and that the opera accounted for a disproportionate share of expenses relative to revenue. The Center has characterised the split as a necessary step to protect its long-term financial stability.
A broader institutional crisis
The dispute unfolds against a backdrop of significant controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center in recent months. Following leadership changes linked to President Donald Trump, the institution has undergone a visible shift in governance and public messaging, including the addition of Trump’s name to the Center’s official branding — a move that has drawn legal, political, and cultural criticism.
Since then, the Center has faced declines in attendance and donor confidence, alongside a series of artist cancellations. Several musicians and composers have withdrawn from scheduled appearances, citing discomfort with the Center’s new identity or expressing concern that performing there had taken on political significance.
Among the artists to step away is Béla Fleck, who publicly stated that appearing at the Kennedy Center had become a political statement rather than a purely artistic one. Similar concerns have been voiced by other performers across genres.
Washington National Opera officials have pointed to this broader climate as a key factor in their decision, citing falling ticket sales, reduced donations, and uncertainty about future programming autonomy.
What comes next
Under the approved resolution, the opera company plans to relocate all performances away from the Kennedy Center’s Opera House, reduce the number of productions as a cost-saving measure, and establish a new performance model across multiple venues in the capital. While potential sites have been identified, no leases have yet been finalised.
Francesca Zambello, the opera’s artistic director, said she was deeply saddened by the departure, emphasising the historic significance of the Kennedy Center as a home for the company and as a national cultural symbol.
The separation also raises unresolved questions, including the future governance of the opera’s endowment and the disentangling of shared administrative services that had been centralised under the affiliation agreement signed in 2011.
As Washington National Opera prepares to redefine itself as an independent institution, its departure stands as one of the most consequential cultural developments to emerge from the Kennedy Center’s recent transformation — and a signal of the wider tensions now shaping the American performing arts landscape.
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