Opera Industry Shows Support for Washington National Opera

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, including John Adams, Kevin Puts, Kelli O'Hara, Joyce DiDonato, John Corigliano, Isabel Leonard, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Jeanine Tesori and more, signed an open letter pledging support to the company.

The effort was organized by Pulitzer and Grammy-award winning librettist Mark Campbell, who said that this wasn't a political statement but "a positive and enthusiastic response to the needs of an important company." As the signed letter states,  "...On our country's 250th anniversary and always, ...it is necessary to continue standing up for artistic freedom."

"The Washington National Opera needs to put itself in the best possible position going forward," said the librettist, noting that the WNO has seen its ticketing buying public and donor financial support erode since the new regime was installed at the Center. It has already announced performances at several other venues for its forthcoming productions.

You can view the full letter, along with a list of signatories from across many facets of the industry, at the link here.