Opera Company Sues to Collect $17 Million From the Kennedy Center
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- The Washington National Opera has filed a lawsuit against the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, demanding over $17 million it claims is owed, including endowment funds, donations, and income collected for the opera's benefit.
- The opera company alleges that since its separation from the Kennedy Center earlier this year, center officials have refused to release these critical funds necessary for its operations.
- The Kennedy Center responded by stating the opera financially burdened the institution for over a decade, accumulating a $72 million deficit between 2011 and 2026, and called the lawsuit meritless while planning a countersuit.
- The opera left the Kennedy Center in January following a decline in audiences, artists, and donors after President Trump’s takeover of the center, with the split attributed to a financially challenging relationship.