Washington National Opera to leave The Kennedy Center
- Ikuko
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Washington National Opera announced on 10th January 2026 that it would leave The Kennedy Center, its home since the centre's opening in 1971, as the centre continues to suffer from a drop in ticket sales and cancellations by performing artists.
"As Washington National Opera begins its 70th anniversary year, the Board and staff have made the difficult decision to seek an end to our 15-year Affiliation Agreement with the Kennedy Center. We will be moving our performances to new venues as we return to operating as a fully independent entity."
Washington National Opera listed a few reasons for the decision in the statement. The Kennedy Center has introduced a new financially-driven business model, which is at odds with the company, since the appointment of Richard Grenell by President Donald Trump as the centre's president in February last year. The new business model requires the company to demonstrate in advance any shows to be fully financially backed by anticipated ticket sales, donations and grants before being approved.
Washington National Opera also said the centre's restructuring has constrained the back stage operations. The company used to share The Kennedy Center's centralised administration resources including recruiting, marketing and so forth. However, these resources have been reduced or completely terminated since last year. This has resulted in the opera staffers taking up multiple tasks, which is not sustainable for the long term.
Main news outlets reported Washington National Opera's decision the day before the issurance of the public statement, when the opera's board of trustees approved the resolution to cut its half-a-century tie with The Kennedy Center.
Washington National Opera is still negotiating with the centre about an early termination of the contract in an amicable way, according to the news reports. The company, however, plans to withdraw its shows from the centre as soon as possible and move to a new venue or venues, which are not yet named.
Since the so-called Trump's take over of The Kennedy Center, the centre and the company have experienced pull-outs of artists and a significant fall in ticket sales and donations.
The center was renamed The Trump Kennedy Center in December 2025 although some disputes the legality of the name change.
