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.
A few upcoming performances will be hosted at a venue that has history with the Washington National Opera: the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University.
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.
The Lisner Auditorium hosted the opera for its first performances 70 years ago.
“The George Washington University is honored to host the Washington National Opera’s two upcoming productions at Lisner Auditorium,” Julia Garbitt, a spokesperson with the university, told WTOP in an email. “The company’s first production at Lisner took place in 1956, and the university is pleased to welcome WNO back to its original home while continuing its longstanding commitment to supporting the arts and cultural life of Washington, D.C.”
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.
Timothy O’Leary, the opera’s general director, said the full lineup of venues for the 2026-2027 season would soon be shared, including where it will host productions of “West Side Story” and its annual gala.
“For this moment, returning to Lisner Auditorium is both a homecoming and renewal,” O’Leary said in a news release. “Thanks to our community of support, WNO will continue to be a source of beauty, connection, and free expression for another 70 years and beyond.”
Several spring programs will be taking place at 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.
The Washington National Opera was founded in 1956 and later became an affiliate of the Kennedy Center in 2011.
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. Tickets for the upcoming shows go on sale on Jan. 23.
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