The Washington National Opera said that it will move its performances out of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ending a partnership that began in 1971. The decision is the strongest artistic response so far to President Trump’s effort to reshape the Kennedy Center.
Both the opera company and the Kennedy Center have had a difficult year, with artists cancelling appearances, audiences shrinking, and donors pulling back in protest at the president’s involvement. Soon after starting his second term, Trump named himself chairman of the Kennedy Center, appointed political ally Richard Grenell as executive director, and added his supporters to the board.
The opera’s board voted to break ties with the Kennedy Center. In a statement, the company said it would “seek an amicable early termination of its affiliation agreement with the Kennedy Center and resume operations as a fully independent nonprofit entity”.
The plan calls for leaving the Kennedy Center’s 2,364‑seat Opera House as soon as possible and staging fewer performances to save money. Opera officials said they have identified other suitable venues in Washington.
The opera did not release a copy of the resolution, which was approved during a virtual meeting of its 37‑member board on Friday, but officials involved in discussions shared details with The New York Times.
Under the leadership of Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center has taken an aggressive approach toward artists who have cancelled engagements. But on Friday, the Center’s spokeswoman, Roma Daravi, said both sides agreed that it was time to bring the relationship to an end. She said:
After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the W.N.O. due to a financially challenging relationship. We believe this represents the best path forward for both organisations and enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center.
On X, Grenell wrote:
Having an exclusive relationship has been extremely expensive and limiting in choice and variety. Having an exclusive Opera was just not financially smart, and our patrons clearly wanted a refresh.
He said dissolving the arrangement would allow the Kennedy Center greater flexibility to present international opera productions.
Grenell has insisted on a “break-even policy” for every performance. WNO said the policy was among the reasons it decided to leave the venue, stating:
The Center’s new business model requires productions to be fully funded in advance – a requirement incompatible with opera operations. Opera companies typically cover only 30-60% of costs through ticket sales, with the remainder from grants and donations that cannot be secured years ahead when productions must be planned.
The company said the approach also fails to reflect its artistic mission, which seeks to balance well‑known works, such as West Side Story (scheduled for May 2026), with lesser‑known or experimental operas, including Scott Joplin’s rarely staged Treemonisha (March 2026).
Revenue from major productions traditionally subsidises smaller, innovative works.
Francesca Zambello, the Company’s Artistic Director since 2011, said:
I am deeply saddened to leave the Kennedy Center. I have been proud to be affiliated with a national monument to the human spirit, a place that has long served as an inviting home for our ever-growing family of artists and opera lovers.
The board and management of the company wish the Center well in its own future endeavours, including recognising the Center for having secured significant funding, including $275 million from Congress, for upgrades to the Center.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.