Frequently Asked Questions

Tickets
How do I purchase tickets to WNO performances?
How much do tickets cost?
How can I reach the ticket office?
What are your box office hours?
Where are my seats located in the Kennedy Center Opera House?
Can I exchange my tickets?
What should I do if I lose my ticket?
Are there any discounts?
Is there a discount if I bring a group?
Are there standing room tickets for WNO performances?

Parking & Directions
How do I get to the Kennedy Center?
Where do I park once I get to the Kennedy Center?
What metro stop do I take to get to the Kennedy Center?
Is there a shuttle to the Kennedy Center?

Visitor Information
What happens if I am late for a performance?
Are there special facilities or services for patrons with disabilities?
Does WNO have a dress code?
What are the running times for each opera?
How will I understand what is being sung?
Where are the restrooms located in the Kennedy Center’s Opera House?
Is Washington National Opera merchandise available?
Are concessions available at the Kennedy Center?

Membership Information
What types of membership levels does WNO offer?
How do I become a member of WNO?
Are gifts to WNO tax-deductible?
What is WNO’s Tax ID number?
Does WNO accept gifts of securities?
How can I include WNO in my Will?

Educational Information
What is opera?
What is a libretto?
What are opera seria and opera buffa?
How can I learn more about opera?
How can I become more involved with WNO?

Tickets

How do I purchase tickets to WNO performances?
The best seats are available to subscribers. For more information on how to purchase a subscription and the exclusive benefits, CLICK HERE.

Purchase individual tickets through WNO Audience Services:

How much do tickets cost?
Individual tickets to WNO performances range from $45 to $300. CLICK HERE to purchase individual tickets.

Mini subscriptions begin at $135 and full subscriptions begin at $315. CLICK HERE to purchase a subscription.

How can I contact the ticket office?
CLICK HERE for WNO Audience Services contact information.

What are your box office hours?
CLICK HERE for WNO Audience Services hours and address information.

Where are my seats located in the Kennedy Center Opera House?
CLICK HERE to view an online seating chart.

Can I exchange my tickets?
Ticket exchanges to an alternate performance of the same opera are an exclusive subscriber benefit and must be made at least two days in advance of the first performance involved. Exchanges are subject to availability. Individual ticket purchases are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.

Unused tickets may be returned for a tax-deductible donation to Washington National Opera prior to curtain time. To donate tickets, call Audience Services at 202.294.2400 or 800.US.OPERA. Tax receipts are issued by mail or in person for your records.

CLICK HERE for more information on ticket exchanges and donations.

What should I do if I lose my ticket?
Please call our Audience Services Office at 202.295.2400 or 800.US.OPERA and we will be happy to reprint your tickets. If you are attending a performance and forgot your ticket, our Audience Services staff at the Concierge Desk in the Grand Foyer can assist you.

Are there any discounts?
Generation O is Washington National Opera’s program designed specifically for students and young professionals between the ages of 18 and 35. 

For more information about Generation O, CLICK HERE.

Washington National Opera does not currently offer any standard discounts for students or seniors. However, SPTs (specially priced tickets) are available with proper identification on the day of the performance at the Kennedy Center Main Box Office located in the Hall of States (subject to availability).  SPTs go on sale at 6:00 p.m. for evening performances and at 12:00 p.m. for matinees.  You must present proof of eligibility when purchasing tickets.

Ticketplace occasionally offers last minute half-price tickets to WNO performances. For more information on these special offers CLICK HERE.

Is there a discount if I bring a group?
Groups consist of 10 or more people and have priority over individual ticket buyers. For more information on Group Sales and special benefits, CLICK HERE.

Are there standing room tickets for WNO performances?
Standing room tickets are only available once a performance is sold out. Please contact Kennedy Center Instant Charge at 202.467.4600 to check standing room ticket availability for WNO performances.

Parking and Directions

How do I get to the Kennedy Center?
CLICK HERE for directions to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Where do I park once I get to the Kennedy Center?
CLICK HERE for parking information.

What metro stop do I take to get to the Kennedy Center?
The Kennedy Center is a seven-minute walk via New Hampshire Avenue from the Foggy Bottom/George Washington University Metro station, located on the Orange and Blue lines at 23rd and I Streets, NW.

Is there a shuttle to the Kennedy Center?
The FREE Kennedy Center Show Shuttle runs to and from the Foggy Bottom/George Washington University Metro station (on the Orange and Blue lines at 23rd and I Streets, NW).

Shuttles run every 15 minutes:

Look for the red Kennedy Center van in front of the station escalator entrance. The van is wheelchair accessible.

Visitor Information

What happens if I am late for a performance?
Latecomers will be seated during an appropriate break. While waiting to be seated, you may watch the performance on the television monitors located in the Opera House lobby.

Doors open 30 minutes prior to every performance. Patrons are strongly encouraged to arrive early allow adequate time for parking and seating.

Are there special facilities or services for patrons with disabilities?
For more information about accessible services offered by Washington National Opera and the John F. Kennedy Center, CLICK HERE.

Does WNO have a dress code?
Washington National Opera recommends business attire but has no official dress code for attendance. Opening nights are traditionally more formal than other performances.

CLICK HERE for our performance calendar.

What are the running times for each opera?
Running times for each opera are listed on each individual opera’s page. Click on the OUR SEASON tab located along the top of the page, and select the desired opera to find its running time.

How will I understand what is being sung?
Washington National Opera offers English supertitles at all performances, no matter the language of the opera. Supertitles are projected above the stage at every performance, so you don’t have to understand Italian, German, French or Russian to understand the action taking place on stage.

No refunds will be issued for any malfunctions of this service.

Supertitles are not visible from the Rear Orchestra section in the Kennedy Center Opera House.

Where are the restrooms located in the Kennedy Center’s Opera House?
There are restrooms located on all levels of the Opera House. Accessible restrooms are also located on each level.

Is Washington National Opera merchandise available?
Commemorative gifts and keepsakes are available for sale at each performance at the Washington National Opera Concierge Desk. You may view and purchase items from our online Gift Gallery or by calling 202.292.2400 or 800.US.OPERA.

CLICK HERE to visit our online Gift Gallery.

Are concessions available at the Kennedy Center?
The Kennedy Center offers two restaurants both located on the Roof Terrace Level.

KC Café – Newly renovated gourmet cafeteria with monthly menu changes

Roof Terrace Restaurant & Bar – Modern American Cuisine in a formal dining atmosphere. Currently serving dinner & brunch – Reservations recommended by calling 202.416.8555.

Beverages and lighter food options are available in the Kennedy Center Lobby before curtain and during intermission.

Membership Information

What types of membership levels does WNO offer?

• Washington National Opera Guild
  Opera Guild Members feel the great satisfaction of supporting a splendid art form, and also enjoy the many membership benefits to enhance their opera-going experience. For more information about joining the Opera Guild, CLICK HERE.

• The Camerata Patron Program
  Camerata donors enjoy the special delights and benefits of belonging to this important group of Opera supporters. For more information, CLICK HERE.

• The Medici Society
  Medici donors enjoy a vast array of exclusive benefits and thoughtful, personalized attention.  For more information, CLICK HERE.

How do I become a member of WNO?
Membership levels begin with a minimal $75 tax-deductible contribution to the Opera. Contributions can be made in person, by mail or fax, and online. CLICK HERE to contribute today!

Are gifts to WNO tax-deductible?
Yes! Washington National Opera is a charity as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Gifts made to Washington National Opera are tax-deductible for state and federal income tax purposes to the extent allowed by law.

What is WNO’s Tax ID number?
The Federal Tax Identification number for Washington National Opera is 53-0237707.

Does the Opera accept gifts of securities?
Yes! It is essential that you notify the Opera which securities you are transferring so that we can credit your account accurately. Please contact Rebecca Sach at 202.295.2480 or rsach@dc-opera.org for further information or to provide us with the details of your transfer. Account information is as follows:

Washington National Opera
Wachovia Securities, LLC/FCC
DTC # 0141
Account Name: Washington National Oper
Account number: 23458817

Gene Mechling
Investment Group, Wachovia Securities, LLC/FCC
1753 Pinnacle Drive, 5th Floor
McLean, VA 22102
Phone: 703.760.5825
Fax: 703.760.5415

How can I include the Opera in my Will?
The following is the language we recommend that you use to name Washington National Opera as a beneficiary of your estate plan:

"I give, devise and bequeath to The Washington Opera or its successors in interest, a Washington, DC non-profit corporation, currently located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 104, Washington, D.C. 20037, for its general purposes ($__________, __% or the residue of my estate or the real estate* that I own located at_________ ). The Washington Opera’s Federal tax identification number is 53-0237707.”

*If you leave real estate to Washington National Opera, please state that it is to be sold through your estate and the proceeds are to be distributed to the Opera.

Individuals who make a planned gift such as a bequest are invited to join the Legacy Society. For more information on the Legacy Society, CLICK HERE.

For more information on Planned Giving, please CLICK HERE or contact Steve I. Schneider, Esq. at 202.295.2418 or LegacySociety@dc-opera.org.

Educational Information

What is opera?
Opera may be described as a drama set to music with instrumental accompaniment that is sung by artists usually in costume. Unlike oratorio, which is an un-staged or semi-staged extended musical setting of a sacred text, the chorus is not a required element in opera. Although some sub-genres of opera, like singspiel (i.e. Die Zauberflöte), contain an alternation between sung and spoken verse, opera must be fully sung, though many composers have made significant use of spoken dialogue as a dramatic device.

All of the singing in opera is entirely amplification-free and all of the music is performed live. Opera is one of the most exciting and theatrically impressive art forms. Operas depict passion, betrayal, politics, intrigue, love, and death. Operas can be comedic and tragic, complex and simple. Opera is just as diverse as theater and television.

What is a libretto?
A libretto is the printed text of an opera in its original language along with its English translation. It may either be written by the composer of the opera's music or by someone else (the librettist). In Italian, it means “little book.”

What are opera seria opera buffa?
Opera seria, or serious opera, is heroic and/or tragic in nature. Puccini’s Tosca is a great example of opera seria. Opera buffa, also called comic opera, is light or humorous. Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) is an example.

How can I learn more about opera?
Washington National Opera offers occasional lectures on all the operas in our season, as a part of the Opera Insights series. These lectures, presented on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, will give you a more in-depth understanding of the opera and its composer. CLICK HERE for dates and times for the Opera Insights series.

WNO also offers O-Zone lectures for select performances that are given in the Opera House at 6:15 p.m.. These lectures are included with the purchase of your ticket. CLICK HERE for dates and times of up-coming O-Zone lectures.

In addition, WNO recently launched Q&As with the Artists, held in the Opera House following select matinee performances. CLICK HERE for dates and more information.

For more information and a complete listing of dates for WNO's Opera Insights, O-Zone lectures, and Q&As, CLICK HERE.

How can I become more involved with WNO?
If you would like to volunteer with Washington National Opera, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Jackie Rosen, at 202.295.2484.

Washington National Opera also encourages young artists and professionals to participate in our Intern/Apprentice Program and Young Artist Program. CLICK HERE for more information.