Latest News
Dateline: D.C. by Jamie Bernstein
Posted June 16, 2026
Dateline: D.C.
by Jamie Bernstein
What a time it’s been lately for the Washington National Opera. Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and the Board looked reality in the eye, and made the extremely difficult and risky decision to leave the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in January 2026. Meanwhile, they still had the rest of their season to present—somehow, somewhere. And their spring production was, appropriately enough, West Side Story.
Photo: Washington National Opera performs West Side Story at The Lyric in Baltimore, 2026. © Elman Studio, courtesy of WNO.
Francesca and the Board cobbled together performances at new venues: some at the Lyric in Baltimore, and some at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD. The challenges were immense. The Lyric was considerably smaller than the Kennedy Center Opera House, so many adjustments had to be made. Strathmore, meanwhile, is a concert hall, not a theatre. So on those nights, the production was pared down to its essentials: full orchestra pushed to the back of the stage, and no sets: only a few key, mobile pieces – a jukebox, a bed, a barre for a fire escape – that were pushed on and offstage by the cast members themselves. All of which left plenty of room for the action and the dancing. The dancing!
Photo: Washington National Opera performs West Side Story at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, 2026. © Elman Studio, courtesy of WNO.
That was the performance I saw: a veritable tincture of West Side Story. Music, singing, storytelling, dance – all equally front and center, pure and fine. I’m particularly fond of having the orchestra on stage, so that every note of that score comes barreling right at you.
This galvanic production was blessed with Ryan McCartan and Shereen Pimentel: a Tony and Maria you could really believe in. Both of them were stellar. And for insane extra credit, Marin Alsop was on the podium; she’d flown in that morning from Poland. By now, the West Side Story score must be embedded in Marin’s very DNA. I suppose I could say the same… so, for me to say that this was a musically impeccable performance constitutes pretty high praise.
Photo: Marin Alsop leads the Washington National Opera Orchestra in West Side Story at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, 2026. © Elman Studio, courtesy of WNO.
But the excitement was far from over. The very next night, Washington National Opera had its annual gala—an event that usually takes place at the Kennedy Center, but this year they had to come up with another plan. The event was held in that most extraordinary D.C. structure, the National Building Museum. The space, and the way it was deployed for the occasion, was breathtaking. I co-hosted the event with Stephen Schwartz. Boy, do he and I go back… all the way to 1971, when my father’s MASS, with lyrics co-written by Stephen, inaugurated the Kennedy Center. You can imagine the depth of emotion that evening. So much to celebrate, so much to fret over.
Photo: Stephen Schwartz and Jamie Bernstein co-hosting the Washington National Opera's gala at The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., 2026. © Elman Studio, courtesy of WNO.
I can't remember the last time I heard so many spectacular voices in one place—and most of them were from WNO's Cafritz Young Artists program—in other words, the up-and-comers! It’s always a thrill to feel like you’re getting a sneak-peek at the next big thing… But also, providing the inverse power, there was the iconic mezzo soprano Susan Graham, at the top of her game. She opened the proceedings with "Simple Song" from MASS—thereby setting the high emotional temperature for the rest of the evening.
Because of all the WNO has been through lately, this gala was shimmering with feeling and purpose. Their recent circumstances provided an unexpected silver lining: the opportunity to regroup, reinvent, reinvigorate—and recommit.
The musical finale was the ever-dazzling “Tonight” quintet. Roars of applause. And THEN... midway through the dinner that followed, the Cafritz Young Artists, who were sprinkled all over the enormous museum space, stood up from their various tables -- and together sang an impassioned, a capella "Somewhere"—WNO’s new theme song. No dry eyes, and certainly not mine.