Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts / Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
“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 statement said.
The resolution calls for the opera to move its performances out of the Kennedy Center’s 2,364-seat Opera House as soon as possible and to reduce the number of performances as a cost-saving measure. Opera officials said that new sites in Washington have been lined up but that no leases have been signed. They declined to name those venues.
The decision comes after a year of politically-driven hollowing out of the Kennedy Center by executive director Ric Grenell. The Center was established in 1971 and has hosted Washington National Opera on and off since the opera company’s founding. Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and General Director Timothy O’Leary, with the support of Washington National Opera’s board, lead the transition.
The newly emancipated company can be visited online here; this season’s remaining repertoire includes, amongst other things, The Crucible.
