The Washington National Opera Company opened “Treemonisha” this weekend to two sold-out audiences at Lisner Auditorium on the campus of George Washington University.
The Washington National Opera opened “Treemonisha” this weekend to two sold-out audiences at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University.
It’s the first show the opera company has produced since announcing in January that it would be leaving the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Washington National Opera General Director Timothy O’Leary told WTOP when he and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello took the stage to welcome the audience, they were met by a more than two-minute-long standing ovation.
“It’s been a really exciting, inspiring kind of groundswell of support,” O’Leary said of the overwhelming responses the opera has received since making the decision to leave the Kennedy Center.
He added the opera has maintained a “constructive discussion” with the Kennedy Center, and he would not rule out a return to the facility, where Washington National Opera spent 55 years of its residency in D.C.
The opera was founded at the Lisner Auditorium in 1956. O’Leary called the return to Lisner a homecoming.
“As soon as we announced that we were producing the rest of our season at new venues, we heard overwhelmingly, not only from our audience, people saying, ‘I wasn’t coming but now I’m coming, absolutely. I’m coming twice.’ We also heard from people who wrote in and said, ‘I don’t even like opera, but I’ll come and attend any performance you give anywhere,’” O’Leary said.
In a statement issued Jan. 9, the opera said, “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 company said it was leaving the Kennedy Center because of what it called a “financially challenging relationship” and a new business model.
In a video posted to the opera company’s Facebook account, O’Leary thanked the audience for its support.
“Thank you for believing in the idea of American civil society, whereby institutions that are mission-based like this are created and nurtured by we the people,” O’Leary said. “We’ve been feeling this incredible surge of enthusiasm and support from not only our usual but people from around the country.”
The last performance of “Treemonisha” is March 15. “The Crucible” runs from March 21 through March 29.
O’Leary said the opera plans to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with two performances of “West Side Story” at two venues: The Lyric in Baltimore and Strathmore in North Bethesda.
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