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\n\tThe Washington National Opera announced Friday that it was parting ways with the Kennedy Center<\/a> after 55 years at the once-venerated and now-controversial performing arts venue.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a statement to \u201cfriends, artists, and supporters\u201d Friday, the opera wrote on their new website<\/a>, \u201cAs Washington National Opera (WNO) begins its 70th anniversary year, the Board and staff have made the difficult decision to seek an end to our 15-year Affiliation Agreement with the Kennedy Center. We will be moving our performance to new venues as we return to operating as a fully independent entity.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe Kennedy Center has been Washington National Opera\u2019s home since it opened in 1971, and we have enjoyed a successful formalized affiliation since 2011. It has also been a great honor to be one of the anchors of our Nation\u2019s cultural center and all the prestige that such an association implies. As a result, it was with much deliberation that our Board and staff reached this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Donald Trump was not mentioned in the statement \u2014 nor the president\u2019s decision to rebrand the Kennedy center in his own name<\/a> \u2014 the Board did mention the \u201crobust change\u201d at the performing arts center as part of their determination \u201cto pursue separate paths.\u201d \u201cThe Center\u2019s current Board and leadership have also established a new business model that is unfortunately at odds with how most not-for-profit opera companies operate.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe Kennedy Center said of WNO\u2019s departure in a statement, \u201cAfter careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship. We believe this represents the best path forward for both organizations and enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe WNO\u2019s departure is the latest defection for the \u201cTrump Kennedy Center,\u201d as Bela Fleck<\/a>, Wicked<\/em> composer Stephen Schwartz<\/a>, and the annual Christmas Eve Jazz Jam<\/a> have canceled performances at the venue<\/a> in recent weeks in the aftermath of the Kennedy Center\u2019s renaming.<\/p>\n