Washington National Opera is moving out of the Kennedy Center

The Washington National Opera announced Friday that it plans to leave the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, its longtime home, a stunning move that follows reports of declining ticket sales for the 70-year-old organization amid upheaval at the center since President Donald Trump’s takeover.

The opera said in a statement that it would “seek an amicable early termination of its affiliation agreement with the Kennedy Center” and “resume operations as a fully independent nonprofit entity.”

After the opera’s announcement, the Kennedy Center claimed it had ended the relationship.

“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement. “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.”

But a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to represent either party, told the Washington Post that the choice was “definitely a WNO decision” and that there was consensus to leave, “but it’s with great regret.”

There had been concerns since Kennedy Center board chairperson David M. Rubenstein was removed in February and Trump became chairperson, the person said, but the board’s vote to change the name to the Trump Kennedy Center last month spurred the WNO’s decision to leave.

The opera said in its statement that the decision was driven by the elimination or reduction of support previously provided by the Kennedy Center, as well as changes to the center’s business model, which now require productions to be fully funded in advance — a shift the WNO called incompatible with how opera companies operate.

“Opera companies typically cover only 30-60% of costs through ticket sales, with the remainder from grants and donations that cannot be secured years ahead when productions must be planned,” the statement read.

It also added that the new model conflicts with the opera’s artistic mission of balancing popular titles with lesser-known works to serve diverse audiences.

Francesca Zambello, the opera’s artistic director for 14 seasons, told the Post she was “deeply saddened” to leave the Kennedy Center.

“I have been proud to be affiliated with a national monument to the human spirit, a place that has long served as an inviting home for our ever-growing family of artists and opera lovers,” she wrote in an email. “In the coming years, as we explore new venues and new ways of performing, WNO remains committed to its mission and artistic vision.”

To stay on solid financial footing, the opera said, it planned to cut back its spring season and relocate performances to new venues, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

News of the departure was first reported by the New York Times.

The person familiar with the situation stressed that the center is the “vision and dream of those who brought themselves out of the darkness of the assassination of a young president.”

“There are an awful lot of people that are offended that the official memorial to President John F. Kennedy is being manipulated,” they added. “It is not personal to any one president. You just can’t do that.”

They also said that the move came partly in response to criticism by the new Kennedy Center leadership of the previous management’s financial stewardship. “Frankly, to say that the Kennedy Center was in financial ruin under the predecessor to the current regime is fake,” the person said.

Describing the opera’s circumstances since Trump’s takeover, the person said the company has seen dropping attendance, a decline in donor contributions, and, especially after the name change, increasing numbers of opera singers and artists who are refusing to perform at the Kennedy Center. “A lot of it really is: You can’t get the artists, you can’t get the ticket sales, you’re not going to be able to get the support under this.”

Declines in ticket sales became apparent in the first few months after Trump’s takeover, the Post reported in June. Revenue generated from Washington National Opera subscriptions had fallen 15%, year over year, through the first 10 weeks of its campaign.

A Post analysis in October showed that ticket sales had declined across several genres at the Kennedy Center’s major theaters, a drop that current and former staffers attributed to audiences feeling repelled by Trump’s takeover.

Zambello had told the Guardian in November that the turmoil was leading the opera to consider moving out of the building. (At the time, the opera’s board chairperson denied plans to leave.) Budget constraints had delayed the opera’s 2026-2027 season planning, a person familiar with the organization told the Post last month.

Another round of artists and performers has canceled shows at the Kennedy Center since its board, installed by Trump early last year, voted in December to add his name to the center. It was on the building’s exterior signage the following day.