Placido Domingo to leave Washington Opera

Placido Domingo said yesterday he will leave the Washington National Opera when his contract expires next year, leaving the company with a higher artistic profile, but still struggling to support itself.

Domingo, 69, has been the opera's artistic director since 1996 and its general director since 2003. The Spanish tenor holds the same title with the Los Angeles Opera and renewed his contract there last week through 2013.

In a letter to the opera's board obtained by The Washington Post, Domingo writes that the opera has been transformed into an internationally celebrated company. Still, he raised the possibility of a merger to sustain the opera in Washington.

"I think it is time for the company to go in new directions, including studying the possibility of a merger with the Kennedy Center," he wrote. "And you can rest assured that I will do everything I can to help during this, my last year as general director."

Domingo is credited with raising the company's profile by bringing in more big productions and international stars. He led the company's 2002 tour to Japan and created a young artists' program to develop new talent.

"He will be missed, but all good things must come to an end," Washington National Opera president Kenneth Feinberg said of the departure.