The Washington National Opera announced its departure from its 15-year affiliation agreement with the John F. Kennedy Center  for the Performing Arts on Jan. 9. 

As WNO celebrated its 70-year anniversary in 2026, it detailed significant changes that the opera company will undergo in an official press release surrounding the theme “A New Chapter Begins.” 

“Now, as we embark on our 70th anniversary year, WNO begins a new chapter,” the press release from WNO said.

The Washington National Opera House is an American opera company that was founded in 1956 and since 1971, the opera has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Later, in the year 2000, WNO went on to receive the national opera company title by Congress.

According to Playbill, the Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi announced that the reason for WNO’s departure from the Kennedy Center is because of financial difficulties surrounding the opera’s existence.

 “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship,” Daravi said in a statement to The New York Times. 

According to The New York Times, the fallout between WNO and the Kennedy Center was a result of the recent renaming to the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” Francesca Zambello, WNO’s artistic director, said that most recently, the opera performances’ tickets remain unsold by 40%. 

The downward trend of approval from WNO’s supporters, which occurred during the center’s name change, caused the opera company to relocate to Lisner Auditorium. The auditorium, located in George Washington University, was where the opera house performed for the first time approximately 70 years ago.

In the middle of WNO signaling its start of a new chapter, interim president of the newly named Trump-Kennedy center, Richard Grenell, stated on X that the long partnership with the national opera company posed a financial burden undermining diversity in options, claiming that they had been the ones to commence the split, not the opera house. “Having an EXCLUSIVE relationship has been extremely expensive and limiting in choice and variety,” Grenell said. 

In his official press release on X, Grenell expressed interest in employing operas from around the world to perform at the Trump-Kennedy center, “The Trump Kennedy Center has made the decision to end the EXCLUSIVE partnership with the Washington Opera so that we can have the flexibility and funds to bring in operas from around the world and across the U.S.,” Grenell said.

Grenell went on to claim that WNO ticket sales contributed only 4% of the center’s revenue but comprised 16% of combined expenses. “Having an exclusive Opera was just not financially smart. And our patrons clearly wanted a refresh,” Grenell said.

As the chapter between WNO and the Kennedy Center closes, the opera company announces its two spring performances: “Treemonisha” and “The Cubicle.” 

Meanwhile, the new “Trump-Kennedy” name awaits legal scrutinization along with official congressional approval.