Washington National Opera

09/03/2024

Does your child want to be in a WNO production? We're holding in-person auditions for the Children's Chorus in "Jungle Book" by Kamala Sankaram and Kelley Rourke this weekend and next week! Click the to schedule an appointment on the following dates:

Saturday, Sep. 7, 11:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Sep. 10, 4:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.

Singers should be between the ages of 8 and 15 with treble voices. Rehearsals will begin in November, and performance dates are Dec. 13, 14, and 15.

08/16/2024

Opera in the Outfield, presented by Mars, Incorporated, is just about a week away! Don't miss this FREE event at Nationals Park complete with games, live performances, food, and a special screening of WNO's recent production of Puccini's Turandot. ⭐

This is your chance to see the acclaimed sold-out production with a new ending by Christopher Tin and Susan Soon He Stanton — on the jumbotron! 📺

Learn more at the . No tickets or reservations are required. Seating is available in the stands and limited on the field.

07/29/2024

Word of the day: Resonance. ✨

Today kicks off our three-week WNO Opera Institute, a summer training program for high school singers interested in exploring what opera and vocal performance have to offer in college and as a career. These are the future change-makers of opera!🤩

Click the to learn more about the program and students' upcoming performances. As always, stay tuned for more.😉

07/26/2024

From Tim & ’Cesca: "During my 12 years as artistic and general director of the Glimmerglass Festival in upstate New York, I developed a cultural and educational program for the incarcerated men at Attica Correctional Facility, which was one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of my career.

As we are opening the 2024–2025 season with —with its prison setting and one of opera’s most memorable and beautiful moments sung by a chorus of incarcerated men—it seemed the right time to consider a similar program in Washington."

WNO has met with the D.C. Department of Corrections: Education, Case Management, and Reentry and Nkechi Taifa, founder and principal of the Taifa Group, which advances “creative and cutting-edge approaches” to justice reform. Along with Christopher Cano and WNO's Artist Ambassador Soloman Howard, they are developing a program to bring teaching artists to incarcerated people and form a chorus that will ultimately perform in a concert.

“I believe opportunities like this allow my colleagues and me to connect and share with a population often forgotten and sometimes written off ... I’m pleased that WNO cares and wants to do everything possible to help encourage and possibly redirect the lives of those with whom we will share our time.” —Soloman Howard

Read the full article at the

07/22/2024

If you are planning to visit The Kennedy Center this week, please see the travel advisory below.

Read the full details ➡️ https://www.kennedy-center.org/visit/how-to-get-here/

**TRAVEL ADVISORY**

Through Thursday, July 25, there are road closures, parking restrictions, and heightened security in the immediate area around our campus due to a National Special Security Event.

Read the full details➡️ https://www.kennedy-center.org/visit/how-to-get-here/

07/18/2024

On sale now! Click the to explore the 2024–2025 WNO season, featuring classic operas, symphonic celebrations, and... Steve Jobs?? 🤯

You won't want to miss this exciting genre-bending slate of shows — secure your tickets today! 🎫

07/11/2024

"When you’re the costume director of a major opera company, you often find yourself tackling weird laundry challenges. Marsha LeBoeuf, a 36-year veteran of the Washington National Opera, can tell you how to clean large amounts of fake blood or make new garments look dirty without causing lasting damage." —Washington Post

Click the to read about Marsha's tips and tricks for keeping costumes in opera-ready shape. Many of the tricks may actually help us extend the longevity of our own clothes at home! 👚👖👠

06/27/2024

Did you know Christopher Tin was a Fulbright scholar? 🤯

"A Fulbright Award to study composition for the screen at the Royal College of Music in the United Kingdom served as an early step in his career in composition.

'I'm immensely grateful that I got to spend a year abroad via the Fulbright,' he reflects, 'not only because it gave me opportunities on two continents to further my professional career, but also because it gave me just a little extra insight into the lives of my parents, who took a similar journey a generation before me.'" —The Fulbright Program

Read more about Tin's experience as a Fulbright scholar and his journey to Turandot at the . 📰

06/25/2024

05/24/2024

As Turandot reaches its close, we'd like to highlight the incredible Tony-nominated creatives that make this show so magical.✨

Linda Cho, costume designer for Turandot, received a Tony nomination for her work on The Great Gatsby Musical on Broadway.

Amith Chandrashaker, lighting designer for Turandot, received a Tony nod for his work on the play Prayer for the French Republic.

We'll be rooting for them this awards season! 👏👏👏

📸: Cory Weaver

05/17/2024

✨The cast and crew of Turandot — one of our biggest productions ever! ✨

📸: Derek Baker

05/15/2024

Here's how Francesca Zambello went about reimagining the long-contested ending to one of Puccini's most famous operas, creating a "Turandot for our times."

Learn more at the

05/14/2024

05/14/2024

From Washington Post: “Even without the new ending — and [Christopher] Tin’s splendid musical additions, which draw sensibly from Puccini’s score while applying an entirely new emotional finish — [Francesca] Zambello’s “Turandot” crackles with fresh energy and some truly extraordinary singing.”

Read the full review at the 📰

05/10/2024

From AP: "Ever since Giacomo Puccini died without finishing his last opera, 'Turandot,' audiences have thrilled to its soaring melodies like 'Nessun Dorma,' but also perhaps lamented the lack of a proper ending.

Now the Washington National Opera is offering an alternative, commissioning both new words and new music for the final 18 or so minutes of the piece.
..

Luciano Berio orchestrated a new ending which premiered in 2002; Chinese composer Hao Weiya crafted his own version in 2008, and Opera Delaware is offering a conclusion in May composed by Derrick Wang, whose earlier opera 'Scalia/Ginsburg' told of the friendship between the two Supreme Court justices.

But none have gone as far as WNO in rewriting both text and music for the final scene."

Read the full article at the 📰

05/08/2024

THANK YOU to everyone who came out to our sing-in with Christopher Tin and the Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra yesterday evening! 🎶🎮

We hope you enjoyed this celebration of Tin's work (and sneak peek into our production of Turandot 👀).

📸: Derek Baker

02/14/2024

Our Valentine to you: Her heart is a riddle only love can solve. 💌🌹

In our upcoming production of Puccini's mesmerizing final work "Turandot," the powerful princess of the same name searches for true love. And in true opera fashion, the men are dropping like flies until Prince Calaf cracks the code to her heart. 🔓 🔑💕

Learn more and get tickets ➡️ https://bit.ly/3uAYf4F

And yes...we can confirm, we are the drama. 😅

02/14/2024

How do you blend the spirit of New Orleans Mardi Gras with Jacques Offenbach’s La Périchole?🎺🎭

That was the real question posed to Eric Sean Fogel and James Lowe when they were approached about "Songbird." And now, the band is ready, with an insane cast, fabulous outfits, and plot twists that'll keep you guessing!

Showing March 9th to March 23rd, 2024.

02/10/2024

Some say opera is dying, but we continue to do it for the plot. 🎭

In this Washington Post article about the health of opera companies, we highlight how we continue to buck industry trends.

Read more ➡️ https://wapo.st/3ODSn1q

Between the strong leadership of General Director Timothy O'Leary, who nearly doubled the company's endowment, and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, who has doubled down on artistic innovation, the company is clearly in good hands! See for yourself with our spring productions of "Songbird" and "Turandot"!

02/06/2024

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Robert Spano to the position of Music Director. He will begin his three-year term in September 2025, and until then, he will be our Music Director Designate.

As WNO Music Director, Spano will provide musical leadership for the company, overseeing the Washington National Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and music staff.

Spano’s extensive experience conducting world-renowned orchestras position him to continue the excellent artistic work of the orchestra and chorus under its current Principal Conductor Evan Rogister. The role also includes working closely with WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello on artistic matters, mentoring the next generation of conductors through WNO’s partnership with the Solti Foundation, and providing musical inspiration to WNO’s acclaimed Cafritz Young Artist Program through coaching and masterclasses.

“Robert Spano is one of the world’s most respected and beloved conductors, and he has a particular talent for leadership as a music director, a position he has held to acclaim several times in the symphony world, but not yet in the opera world,” –WNO General Director Timothy O’Leary

02/03/2024

Join the BravO and the Kreeger Contemporaries on Thursday, February 8 at 6:30 pm for a special after-hours event at The Kreeger Museum.

🎟️: https://bit.ly/42mERVH

Attendees will be enjoy performances from a number of the Cafritz Young Artists and offered tours featuring highlights of the collection by the Kreeger's Collections Manager. Light hors d'oeuvres and wine are included in the price of the ticket.

02/03/2024

Feb. 8 & 10, we’re inviting singers ages 8–15 with treble voices to audition for the female children's chorus for our production of Turandot this May! 🎶

Audition times and more information ➡️ tkc.co/wno-auditions

01/19/2024

Friday + Opera + BravO Council = a great night out! 💃 🎶

Stop by the bar outside of the Terrace Theater from 8–9 pm for an informal gathering with the BravO council and friends in between performances of the American Opera Initiative (AOI).

🎟️ Tickets & Info: https://bit.ly/48w5gT4

World Premiere One-Act Operas
1️⃣ “A Way Forward”
2️⃣ “Hairpiece”
3️⃣ “Forever”

AOI is a comprehensive commissioning program founded in 2012 to stimulate, enrich, and ensure the future of contemporary American opera by providing talented emerging composers and librettists with mentorship and opportunities to write for the stage.

01/18/2024

"Forever" is one of three new American operas premiering Friday, Jan. 19.

🎟️ Tickets: https://bit.ly/48w5gT4

Eons after humans have gone extinct, a strange, chemically supercharged world remains. Perhaps all a survivor can do is try and navigate their surroundings, one toxic blast at a time. As the environmental legacy of the human species gets heftier, allow a pair of musically inclined polyfluoroalkyl substances and a hardy microorganism to paint a picture of a possible future Earth. Forever is a tragicomic opera about figuring out one’s place on a changing planet.

"Forever"
Composer: Elizabeth Gartman
Librettist: Melisa Tien
PFAS 1: Teresa Perrotta
Tardigrade: Cecelia McKinley
PFAS 2: Sahel Salam

Our American Opera Initiative (AOI) is a comprehensive commissioning program founded in 2012 to stimulate, enrich, and ensure the future of contemporary American opera by providing talented emerging composers and librettists with mentorship and opportunities to write for the stage.

Thank you to our American Opera Initiative Sponsor
Denise Littlefield Sobel

01/17/2024

"Hairpiece" is one of three new American operas premiering Friday, Jan. 19.

🎟️ Tickets: https://bit.ly/48w5gT4

On the verge of a solitary retirement, wigmaker Esther knows everything there is to know about her craft: you start by laying a lace foundation, then match the client’s hair with a frontal and stitch in the wefts by hand. And yet she doesn’t know how to save her studio, preserve the dying art, or find meaning in her life’s work. But when an eye-catching young stranger shows up unannounced at her door, an unexpected alliance emerges.

"Hairpiece"
Composer: Joy Redmond
Librettist: Sam Norman
Esther: Tiffany Choe
Ari: Jonathan Pierce Rhodes
Gale: Justin Burgess

Our American Opera Initiative (AOI) is a comprehensive commissioning program founded in 2012 to stimulate, enrich, and ensure the future of contemporary American opera by providing talented emerging composers and librettists with mentorship and opportunities to write for the stage.

Thank you to our American Opera Initiative Sponsor
Denise Littlefield Sobel

01/17/2024

"A Way Forward" is one of three new American operas premiering Friday, Jan. 19.

🎟️ Tickets: https://www.kennedy-center.org/wno/home/2023-2024/aoi-20-minute-operas/?promocode=545595

This one-act opera follows a Mexican family of three generations who grapple with polarized ideas on how to save their business from the threat of foreclosure. The stress of the situation brings out hidden family dynamics that reveal both their flaws and passion. Will they be able to get through their crisis?

"A Way Forward"
Composer: Laura Jobin-Acosta
Librettist: José Alba Rodríguez
Julia: Kresley Figueroa
Helena: Winona Martin
Gabriel: Sergio Martínez

Our American Opera Initiative (AOI) is a comprehensive commissioning program founded in 2012 to stimulate, enrich, and ensure the future of contemporary American opera by providing talented emerging composers and librettists with mentorship and opportunities to write for the stage.

Thank you to our American Opera Initiative Sponsor
Denise Littlefield Sobel

01/16/2024

Are you ready to take your vocal studies to the next level? 🚀

For aspiring singers in grades 9–12, WNO’s 2024 Opera Institute is a 3-week program where you’ll level up your artistic skills with vocal, theatrical, and improv training, meaningful faculty mentorship, collaboration with like-minded young artists, and even your own performances at the Kennedy Center!

Don’t wait—apply by Jan. 21 so you don’t miss this life-changing experience.

🔗https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/opportunities-for-artists/pre-professional-artist-training/wno-opera-institute

01/08/2024

Congratulations Susan Soon He Stanton on "Succession's" big win at the Golden Globes 2024!🏆✨

Stanton brings her writing talent from screen to stage as she collaborates with the WNO team to deliver a compelling ending to Puccini's unfinished masterpiece, "Turandot!" 🎭

Don't miss this fantasy epic at the May 11 to 25, 2024. 🗓️

11/30/2023

ICYMI: WETA's most recent blog post covered the hit family opera “The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me”, returning to the Kennedy Center this holiday season! Read the full blog at the link below and see the award-winning children’s book come to life on stage with whimsical costumes, endearing characters, and playful music, Dec. 8 - 10. 🦄✨

📸: Scott Suchman
📰: https://bit.ly/415f9Ej
🎟: https://bit.ly/3uHkyWg

11/30/2023

Best audience ever! 😍

Watch over 1,400 students go wild at our special "Opera Look-In" performance of .