About Us
General Director
Artistic Director
Artistic Director
Timothy O’Leary has served as General Director of Washington National Opera since 2018. He is responsible for leading the WNO staff, collaborating with acclaimed Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, and working with the WNO Board of Trustees to achieve the company’s goals for artistic excellence, community impact, and financial strength
Timothy O’Leary has served as General Director of Washington National Opera since 2018. He is responsible for leading the WNO staff, collaborating with acclaimed Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, and working with the WNO Board of Trustees to achieve the company’s goals for artistic excellence, community impact, and financial strength. During his tenure, the WNO endowment has more than tripled, from $8 million to reach nearly $26 million, while the company has won acclaim for excellence, innovation, resilience, and building new audiences.
Artistic Director
Artistic Director
Artistic Director
Francesca Zambello is an internationally acclaimed director of opera and theater and currently serves as Artistic Director of Washington National Opera. Since 2012, she has led WNO with a focus on championing American artists, commissioning new works, and expanding access to opera for diverse audiences. Under her leadership, WNO has produ
Francesca Zambello is an internationally acclaimed director of opera and theater and currently serves as Artistic Director of Washington National Opera. Since 2012, she has led WNO with a focus on championing American artists, commissioning new works, and expanding access to opera for diverse audiences. Under her leadership, WNO has produced more than 50 operas, launched the American Opera Initiative—which has commissioned over 50 new works—and mounted the company’s first complete presentation of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Zambello is an Inductee to the Opera America Hall of Fame in 2026.
Music Director
Artistic Director
Music Director
Robert Spano is the Washington National Opera Music Director, providing musical leadership for the company, overseeing the Washington National Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and music staff.
Conductor, pianist, composer, and teacher, is known worldwide for the intensity of his artistry and distinctive communicative abilities, creating a sense
Robert Spano is the Washington National Opera Music Director, providing musical leadership for the company, overseeing the Washington National Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and music staff.
Conductor, pianist, composer, and teacher, is known worldwide for the intensity of his artistry and distinctive communicative abilities, creating a sense of inclusion and warmth among musicians and audiences that is unique among American orchestras.
Washington National Opera Orchestra
Under the directorship of WNO Music Director, Robert Spano, the Washington National Opera Orchestra (WNOO) is the musical heartbeat of the company, playing for all WNO productions.
Comprised of 64 musicians from around the nation and the world, WNOO members have trained at the leading conservatories in Europe and the United States, including Juilliard, Eastman, and the Curtis Institute, among others, and most hold advanced degrees in their field.
The Orchestra's roots date back to the company's founding in 1956 as the Opera Society of Washington. As the small but intrepid group of opera lovers grew into an internationally recognized opera company, the musicians grew with it, and the orchestra was officially established as a professional orchestra in 1978. Today, the same musicians also constitute the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the Center's resident orchestra.
artistic citizenshiP
Our Programs
Use Your Voice Workshops
Use Your Voice Workshops
Artistic Citizenship is at the heart of our commitment to reach into and serve the community, inspire people of all ages to make opera part of their lives, and build audiences for now and the future. A prime example is Opera in the Outfield a free community event we offer an afternoon of free family activities and live performances, followed by opera on the big screen!
Use Your Voice Workshops
Use Your Voice Workshops
Use Your Voice Workshops
“What does music bring to your life?” “It makes me feel joyful and powerful.” Over three transformative days each quarter, teens at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with and learn from opera stars and professional musicians to create an original musical narrative inspired by WNO mainstage productions.
Meaningful Discourse
Meaningful Discourse
Meaningful Discourse
WNO is committed to developing meaningful conversations that build greater civic understanding. Identifying topics that challenge us or demand wrestling with, WNO invites figures from arts, culture, academia, politics, and more to use opera as a prism to examine and candidly discuss modern day issues.
WNO Opera Institute
Meaningful Discourse
Meaningful Discourse
The WNO Opera Institute is a summer training program for high school singers interested in exploring all that opera and vocal performance have to offer in college and as a career. Led by Dr. Carl DuPont, students receive professional-level vocal coaching, classes in improvisation and stage movement, and career guidance from leaders in the field.