Moving Out: Washington National Opera Latest To Sever Ties With Trump-Kennedy Center
The Washington National Opera announced on Friday that it will be severing ties with the newly-renamed Trump-Kennedy Center. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts had been the opera company’s home since the center opened in 1971. The opera company is just one of many organizations, artists, and performers who have announced in the last few months that they are steering events away from the center.
Where Will the Washington National Opera Go?
After more than 50 years at the Kennedy Center, the Washington National Opera, which has been around for more than 70 years, decided that its best financial move was to move on. The organization released the following statement on Friday:
“To ensure fiscal prudence and fulfill its obligations for a balanced budget, the WNO will reduce its spring season and relocate performances to new venues. This is a decision centered on doing what is best for the WNO going forward after an amicable transition.”
The Washington National Opera receives funding from a mix of ticket sales, grants and donations. New restrictions from the center require productions to be fully-funded in advance. That is a business model that the WNO, like most opera companies, was not likely to meet.
Artistic director Francesca Zambello, in his 14th year heading the company, said this about the amicable split with the Trump-Kennedy Center:
“I am deeply saddened to leave the Kennedy Center. In the coming years, as we explore new venues and new ways of performing, Washington National Opera remains committed to its mission and artistic vision. Our repertory will continue to include diverse offerings, from monumental classics to more contemporary works, presented in bold visual productions with first-class musical values.”
The Washington National Opera is now busy rebooking its 2026 shows for different venues. The opera company will announce the new locations for its performances in the coming weeks. The WNO’s affiliation with the Kennedy Center was never intended to be a permanent one, but it had certainly been a convenient one for the organization until recently.
Changes Abound at the Kennedy Center
President Donald Trump announced last February that he was firing the board members at the Kennedy Center. The president’s hand-picked new board voted to make him the new chairman later that same month. In December, the board voted to add Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, dubbing it The Trump-Kennedy Center.
Since that decree, the center has faced ample backlash. Members of the Kennedy family have spoken out against the decision. U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, ex officio member of the center’s board, filed a legal challenge to the decision on the grounds that the center was named in an act of Congress. The lawsuit cites that, by law, the name could only be changed through another act of Congress.
Other changes are afoot at the Trump-Kennedy Center, as well. President Trump has talked frequently about remodeling the center, including just last month, when he showed off potential new marble armrest options on social media. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” contained approximately $257 million in federal funding earmarked for repairs and renovations for the center.
Other Kennedy Center Cancellations
The Washington National Opera did not cite politics for its decision, though the center has become a lightning rod for political statements over the last year. The exit by the Washington National Opera is just the latest in what is becoming a mass exodus from the rebranded Washington D.C. performing arts mecca.
Just days ago, Grammy-winning banjo player Béla Fleck announced the cancellation of his upcoming appearances at the center. Fleck was slated to perform three concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra there next month. The WNO and Fleck join jazz musician Chuck Redd, jazz band the Cookers, folk singer Kristy Lee, “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz, Issa Rae, Ben Folds, Shonda Rhimes, and the 10th-anniversary production of Hamilton, among others, who have cancelled events at the Trump-Kennedy Center.
Learn More
If you would like to learn more about the Washington National Opera, the organization has established a new website independent from the Trump-Kennedy Center’s site.
