The Washington National Opera (WNO) is contemplating a significant move away from the Kennedy Center following Donald Trump’s recent declaration of himself as the chair of the institution. This bold and controversial move has set off a wave of resignations and cancellations by major artists. Today, fears over the long-term impact on the art form and its performances are growing.
In February, Donald Trump released his plan to “drain the swamp” that controls the Kennedy Center, quickly following with a board and management overhaul of the influential institution. Francesca Zambello, WNO’s artistic director, said that this takeover might require the opera to find new homes. She pointed out a huge drop in box office revenues and “shattered” donor confidence as key reasons driving their decision.
Many of those artists have made their displeasure known by withdrawing from planned appearances at the Kennedy Center. Issa Rae, Rhiannon Giddens, and Peter Wolf and the Philadelphia rock band Low Cut Connie are among those who have canceled. They pointed to Trump’s leadership as the primary reason for their decision to withdraw.
Zambello’s remarks reflect a growing unease within the artistic community regarding the implications of Trump’s governance. She left no doubt about her deeply held convictions. Our show can no longer, in good conscience, be a part of this new culture that is being forced on the Kennedy Center.
The cultural backlash against trump’s leadership has reverberated strongly throughout the arts community. Trump’s self-appointment as a ‘wartime president’ alarmed theater titan Jeffrey Seller in the New Yorker. One could have raised the integrity of the institution under such leadership.
Artists quickly took to social media to express their outrage at the prospect of going back to the venue. As one performer put it on stage, “I’m never going back in there until that ‘orange menace’ is out of there.” The recent parallels were not lost on another artist. They were shouting, “Are you crazy, don’t you understand history? Don’t you know what Hitler did? I will not give you one penny.”
As the WNO considers its next moves, the implications of Trump’s takeover are still settling in. The future of the opera at the Kennedy Center soon becomes a point of uncertainty. Both financial stability and artistic integrity are at risk.