Washington Opera Joins Exodus from Kennedy Center
By Reuters | 11 Jan, 2026

December's Trump coup and renaming alienates the performing organizations that have been filling the Kennedy Center's calendar.

Operalia First Prize winner Le Bu is scheduled to perform at the Washington Opera with pianist Artyom Pak on May 10, 2026. (Washington Opera Photo)

The Washington National Opera will leave the Kennedy Center, the two organizations said on Friday, marking the latest departure from the storied Washington arts institution since President Donald Trump and his allies took it over.

"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, saying the step followed changes at the center.

The opera's artistic director, Francesca Zambello, told the Guardian in November that it might leave its home of more than 50 years after a collapse in box office revenue and "shattered" donor confidence in the wake of Trump's takeover.

A spokesperson for the center said it had "made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship," adding that the departure "enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center."

The opera said the Kennedy Center's "new business model requires productions to be fully funded in advance - a requirement incompatible with opera operations" and that "centralized support services previously provided by the Center have been reduced or eliminated."

Trump named himself chairman of the Kennedy Center and filled its board with his allies last year. In December the institution's board voted to rename it as the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, or Trump Kennedy Center for short.

Since then many groups and artists have withdrawn from the center, citing the Republican leader's takeover. Democrats, noting that the center's name was established by Congress, have said Trump's rebranding has no force of law. John F. Kennedy's family denounced the renaming move as undermining the slain president's legacy.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by William Mallard)