The Washington National Opera has launched a new website with information about its program.

The new website includes a letter signed by Andy Pharoah, Timothy O’Leary, Francesca Zambello, and Eric Larsen in which they announce the end of the company’s partnership with the Kennedy Center.

The letter writes that “the Center’s current Board and leadership established a new business model that is unfortunately at odds with how most not-for-profit opera companies operate.”

The letter also noted that the Kennedy Center email addresses and access to the company’s offices has been discontinued and as a result, the new contact for the Washington National Opera will be info@washnatopera.org.

The company announced that in the coming weeks it will reach out with more specific information about our re-formation plans and performances and that it will honor commitments to its artists.

The new website comes days after the Washington National Opera decided to leave the Kennedy Center.

In response to to the opera company’s decision, the Kennedy Center’s Executive Director Richard Grenell had a Trump-like meltdown on social media, offering a different narrative that asserted that the Kennedy Center had been the one to break up with the opera company due to poor finances. He then went on to lash out on media outlets and claimed they all plagiarized. He said, “Guess how many reporters actually reported the facts as to who asked who to end the EXCLUSIVE Opera partnership at the Trump Kennedy Center? Zero. We have a crisis in the media. Experienced editors are allowing young reporters to simply repeat, recycle and plagiarize other reporters without checking facts.”

OperaWire has previously reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment on why the financial issues with the Washington National Opera were never brought up when it was first suggested that the opera could leave. At that point the Kennedy Center released a statement by Andy Pharoah, President of the WNO Board of Trustees, stating, “The WNO has no plans to move out of the Kennedy Center and we are proud to be part of America’s cultural center, entering our 70th season.”

The Washington National Opera next presents “Treemonisha,” “The Crucible,” and “West Side Story.”

Read Related Stories 

• Washington National Opera to Leave Kennedy Center
• Washington National Opera Considers Exiting the Kennedy Center