Washington National Opera announces it will leave the Kennedy Center
The move marks the latest rebuke of President Donald Trump's involvement in the performing arts center, which has come back under the spotlight after its board decided to add Trump's name to the center, prompting outcry from critics.
The Washington National Opera's board approved a resolution Friday that will pull the organization out of the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center, ending the financial relationship between the opera and the center that was established in 2011.
The move marks the latest rebuke of President Donald Trump's involvement in the performing arts center, which has come back under the spotlight after its board decided to add Trump's name to the center, prompting an outcry from critics.
“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 company said in a statement to the New York Times.
The resolution pushes the company to move its performances from the venue as quickly as possible and reduce the number of performances in an effort to save money. The company said new sites for the group in the capital have been lined up but that no leases have been signed.
Details on the new schedule are expected to be announced in the near future and a new website with the opera's schedule will be launched soon.
The Kennedy Center has not commented on the opera company's looming departure. The Washington National Opera has been performing at the venue since 1971.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.