The Washington National Opera has relocated upcoming performances to a familiar venue as it breaks away from the Kennedy Center following President Donald Trump’s takeover of the performing arts venue.
The Washington National Opera has relocated upcoming performances to a familiar venue as it breaks away from the Kennedy Center following President Donald Trump’s takeover of the performing arts venue.
According to a Friday news release, the opera received a flood of donations after announcing last week it would depart from the Kennedy Center. The decision was made, according to the opera, over financial constraints imposed after Trump appointed his allies to the Kennedy Center’s board.
The opera said its spring programming will be moved to other venues across the D.C. area.
A few upcoming performances will be hosted at a venue that has history with the Washington National Opera: the Lisner Auditorium.
The venue on George Washington University’s campus hosted the opera for its first performances 70 years ago.
A new version of Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha” will be performed at the auditorium in early March. And performances of Robert Ward’s opera “The Crucible” will be held later in the month.
Several spring programs have been moved to different venues across the region, including an arts center at Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria campus, George Washington Masonic National Memorial and local churches.
Since the split with the Kennedy Center, the opera is back to operating as an independent nonprofit organization.
More than 500 donations were made to the opera in the days since the announcement, according to the Washington National Opera.
A full calendar of the Washington National Opera’s events is online.
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