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 ongoing upheaval at the center since President Donald Trump’s takeover.

The opera said in a statement 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 said 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.”

The opera said 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 opera 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 Washington 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.

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 percent, year over year, through the first 10 weeks of its campaign.

A Post analysis in October showed ticket sales had declined across several genres at the Kennedy Center’s major theaters, which 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 chair 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 have 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.

“The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far left leadership,” Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell said on social media at the time. “Their actions prove that the previous team was more concerned about booking far left political activists rather than artists willing to perform for everyone regardless of their political beliefs.”