Washington National Opera celebrates its 70th anniversary year and new future as an independent organization with an important new community initiative, Save Seventy Seats.

The Washington National Opera announced Friday that it will move performances away from the Kennedy Center in another high-profile departure following President Trump's takeover of the U.S. capital's leading performing arts venue.

The Washington National Opera will relocate two of its spring productions to Lisner Auditorium after cutting ties with the Kennedy Center last week.

A bold statement of opera industry solidarity with the Washington National Opera was issued following the news of the company's decision to leave Kennedy Center. A group of more than 60 opera industry leaders,

After more than five decades as the venue's resident ensemble, Washington National Opera has parted ways with the Kennedy Center, marking the most significant departure in the institution's history. The split highlights deepening tensions at the national performing arts center,

Opera company, which has performed at Washington, D.C. venue since its opening in 1971, says Center's "new business model" is "unfortunately at odds with how most not-for-profit opera companies operat

The WNO is just the latest to say they will no longer perform at the Kennedy Center since Trump took over last year.

The Lisner Auditorium, at George Washington University, is smaller than the Kennedy Center’s Opera House, with 1,400 seats compared to about 2,300 at the center.

"After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship," a center rep said.

The Washington National Opera is moving performances away from the Kennedy Center. The decision follows President Donald Trump's takeover of the venue and its rebranding as the Trump-Kennedy Center.