The Washington National Opera decided on Friday to move out of its longtime home at the Kennedy Center.

The Washington National Opera has decided to end its arrangement with the Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital, though it says it is hoping for an “amicable transition.”

The opera company is seeking to sever its ties with the Kennedy Center after a tumultuous year in which both groups have faced cancellations by artists, empty seats and the retrenchment of donors prot...