The Washington National Opera is leaving its longtime home at the Kennedy Center.
According to the New York Times, opera leadership said the decision stemmed from a drop in attendance and a decline in donor contributions in the wake of Donald Trump’s takeover of the venue, as well as the ensuing wave of artists who have canceled their own performances at the Kennedy Center in protest. In recent weeks, Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz and Grammy-winning banjoist Béla Fleck have pulled out of scheduled appearances with the opera.
“Today, the Washington National Opera announced its decision to seek an amicable early termination of its affiliation agreement with the Kennedy Center and resume operations as a fully independent nonprofit entity,” the opera said in a statement to the New York Times.
As a result of the resolution, approved by its board of trustees on Friday, the WNO will move out of the Kennedy Center’s Opera House, where it has called home since 1971, and seek a new performance space in Washington, DC.
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In addition to the aforementioned financial and attendance woes, opera officials told the New York Times that programming disagreements with Kennedy Center leadership also factored into their decision to leave the venue. WNO officials cited directives like ordering the opera to open every concert with a performance of national anthem, the hiring of a dance director who complained about “radical leftist ideologies in ballet,” and Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell’s push for all productions to be revenue neutral.
In a statement to Consequence, a Kennedy Center spokesperson claimed that its leadership, not the Washington National Opera, initiated the split. “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship. We believe this represents the best path forward for both organizations and enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center.”
Grenell expanded on the decision in his own social media post. “The Trump Kennedy Center has made the decision to end the exclusive partnership with the Washington Opera so that we can have the flexibility and funds to bring in operas from around the world and across the US,” Grenell wrote. “Having an exclusive Opera was just not financially smart. And our patrons clearly wanted a refresh.”
The Trump Kennedy Center has made the decision to end the exclusive partnership with the Washington Opera so that we can have the flexibility and funds to bring in operas from around the world and across the U.S.
Having an exclusive relationship has been extremely expensive and… https://t.co/rN6kSVRp7z
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) January 10, 2026
