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

Domingo, 69, has been artistic director of the Washington National Opera since 1996 and served as 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.

The opera has struggled financially in recent years as a stand-alone company.

Domingo is credited with raising the company’s profile by bringing more big productions and international stars to Washington.