“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 on Friday, saying the step followed changes at the centre.
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 centre 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 “centralised 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Since then many groups and artistes have withdrawn from the centre, citing the Republican leader’s takeover. Democrats, noting that the centre’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. (Reuters)
