Overview
- The WNO board approved a resolution to end its affiliation and reestablish the company as an independent nonprofit.
- Performances will move out of the Opera House as soon as possible with a pared-back season, and venues in Washington have been identified though no leases are signed.
- Opera leaders cited declining attendance, reduced donations and a wave of artist cancellations following the Trump-Kennedy rebrand.
- Kennedy Center officials described the split as the product of a long-running, financially challenging relationship, and President Richard Grenell said the exclusivity was costly and that the center initiated the change.
- Legal challenges to the name change are pending as Rep. Joyce Beatty contests the board’s authority, while NSO musicians report anxiety and softer sales alongside further cancellations by artists including Béla Fleck, the Cookers and Chuck Redd.