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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

By Jessica Showers   Wed, Feb 01, 2012

An energetic series of escapades starring a Missouri—or should I say, Missoura—troublemaker, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is being presented by KC Rep at Spencer Theatre through February 12 (in collaboration with Hartford Stage, the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis). This production of the play, adapted by Laura Eason from the novel by Mark Twain, employs inventively sparse staging and design elements that beg children and adults to tap into their imaginations. Director Jeremy B. Cohen pulls together a strong ensemble and creative team in this eager retelling of the conniving but lovable Tom Sawyer.

Tom (Tim McKiernan) lives with his Aunt Polly (Nance Williamson) and half-brother Sid (Nate Trinrud) on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Petersburg, Missouri. There, he rollicks around town causing trouble with his friends Huckleberry Finn (Robbie Tann) and Joe Harper (Justin Fuller). The play tells the story of his schoolboy crush on Becky Thatcher (Hayley Treider), Tom and Huck’s encounters with the infamous criminal Injun Joe (Michael Nichols), and many other “great adventures.”

Design is the show’s most remarkable aspect. The set (Dan Ostling) starts out deceptively simple—an earth-toned backdrop with an inset window, a wooden fence center stage—but morphs into a living being. The fence splits into two sections and moves laterally across the stage, and actors walk across platforms on top. Various set pieces glide in and out on wheeled wooden platforms that transform in seconds by pulling up cutout slats and doors.  Windows and a tree branch are lowered, hovering in the hair, to denote whether the characters are at the church, the schoolhouse, Jackson’s Island or the graveyard. Scene changes occur like a synchronized dance, which allows the story to keep its momentum flowing forward; there is never dead time or space or non-instrumental stage movement.

One particular scene in which Tom and Becky are lost in a cave (based on Mark Twain Cave near Hannibal) is a perfect example of layered design—set, sound (Broken Chord) and lighting (Robert Wierzel) coming together almost seamlessly. High, freestanding wooden staircases, various chairs, a ladder and an opening in the stage floor represent parts of the cave. The actors’ voices echo eerily through the space, and their candles flicker, Tom’s fading almost to black as the wax base grows smaller and smaller.

Another ingenious lighting moment occurs earlier in the story when Tom is forced to whitewash a fence as punishment for playing hooky from school. A bright, white light lengthens down the fence slats as the scene progresses—the effect is almost like time-lapse.

Broken Chord’s original music moves from upbeat country twang to bluegrass to subtle, ominous rumblings during sequences featuring Injun Joe. Costumes (Lorraine Venberg) are century-appropriate and blend into the story by speaking to some part of each character—Huck’s ripped pants and unhitched suspender, Injun Joe’s cartoon-villain hat and long, dark hair.

The ensemble is full of seasoned actors all making their KC Rep debut. McKiernan and Treider as Tom and Becky are at their best in their humorous back-and-forth during scenes about their young, naïve love—sharing chewing gum and brass doorknobs and deciding they’re “engaged” with a kiss. McKiernan as Tom (the leader), Tann as Huck (the well-matched follower) and Fuller as Joe Harper (the tagalong) are the perfect rowdy group of boys. Each actor embraces the Missoura way of speaking, with plenty of “ain’ts” and “a’fear’ds.”

Joseph Adams as Muff Potter is gruff yet sincere (and if those long sideburns are real, shows a real dedication to the role). Nance Williamson as both Aunt Polly and Widow Douglas has the overbearing mother figure down pat. Nate Trinrud makes Sid’s jealousy of Tom apparent with fitting facial expressions. And finally Michael Nichols deserves special mention for aptly portraying Injun Joe, with his stilted speech and evil hunch, the wigged-out School Master and the verbose Minister.

There is very little to critique about this production. The end comes abruptly, but then the story had begins just as much in-the-thick-of-things. Cohen, his creative team, ensemble, and crew have obviously worked hard to streamline The Adventures of Tom Sawyer into a fun yet telling coming-of-age tale. They will take this production to New York City’s New Victory Theater in March—Tom’s next great adventure.

REVIEW:
Kansas City Repertory Theatre
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Runs January 20 – February 12 (reviewed Friday, January 27)
Spencer Theatre, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, UMKC Campus
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-2700 or online www.kcrep.org

Top Photo: Left to right: Nate Trinrud (Sid Sawyer), Michael Nichols (Ensemble) , Robbie Tann (Huckleberry Finn) and Tim McKiernan (Tom Sawyer) in Kansas City Rep's Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Photo by Don Ipock)

By Lee Hartman   Tue, Jan 31, 2012

Since gaining fame from her lauded interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Simone Dinnerstein has been a welcome presence on many stages. Her musical tastes are almost 180-degrees from mine and rarely does she stray from the staples of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, and Schubert. To her credit, she performs these pieces with an intimate knowledge of their mechanics and an enviable keyboard touch, as those in attendance at her Saturday night recital at Yardley Hall were witness to.

Dinnerstein opened with a set of three elided contemplative pieces: Chopin’s Nocturne in D-flat major, Op. 27, No. 2; Daniel Felsenfeld’s Cohen Variations; and Brahms’ Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 118, No. 2. Her balanced and even left-hand playing was perfectly weighted on the Chopin with each note contributing to the harmony but in no way exerting its own dominance. Her right-hand melodies were so cleanly articulated, the effect was jarring in its transparency and straightforwardness. Felsenfeld’s Cohen Variations was more of a grand fantasia on Leonard Cohen’s amazing “Suzanne” than a set of variations. Petty title squabble aside, it was a lovely mediation that managed to highlight the best of Cohen’s song without cheapening the original. The Brahms was Brahms…

Dinnerstein introduced the opening set as a new concept for her: beginning softly. I giggled at the idea when looking at the rest of her program of Bach, Schumann, and another Bach—dynamic fireworks would not be the first thought when offered these pieces. Additionally and interestingly, she commented that she felt that Chopin is a precursor to pop music, while Brahms is a precursor to jazz. It’s an interesting notion, but I would flip the comparison on its head, especially after hearing her interpretations of Chopin and Brahms. The Chopin was fluid, breezy, and effervescent whereas the Brahms was straightforward and predictable.

Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen began the second half and Dinnerstein commendably displayed the wistful, slightly melancholic mood I envision Schumann had when writing these reflections of childhood. In “Von fremden Ländern und Menschen,” she transformed the pedantic cadences into something exotic through her skilled touch. Her “Träumerei” was exquisite. So thin in comparison to Liszt’s later arrangement (or aggrandizement, as is the case), it was sensitive, unadorned, and simply awesome in execution and emotional conveyance.

Ending each half were Bach’s Partita No. 2 in C minor and No. 1 in B-flat major, respectively. In these pieces, Dinnerstein’s sense of line was on prominent display. Each layer of counterpoint was distinctive, and I found myself sonically wandering between the lines, listening to the soprano here, alto at other times, or marveling at a devilishly disjunct bass. It is a skilled a performer that allows and encourages such exploration and elucidation. Her Sarabandes were too slow for my taste, as they lost some of the dance-like qualities from which they were born.

For all its brilliance, I would have preferred a substitution for the concluding Partita No. 1. Therein lies my begrudging frustration with Dinnerstein; she is so within her wheelhouse in these pieces that nothing is left to chance and there is little excitement. I would love for her to tackle an underserved piece so that we, as the audience, can be party to that journey of discovery with her and be excited by the process. 

REVIEW:
Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Yardley Hall, Carlsen Center, JCCC Campus
12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS
For more information, visit http://www.jccc.edu/performing-arts-series

Top Photo: Simone Dinnerstein (Courtesy of Telarc)

By   Sat, Sep 22, 2012

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By Laura Vernaci   Wed, Feb 01, 2012

As anxious audience members buzzed to secure their seats, it was evident why Parsons Dance is a long-time and favored performer of the Harriman-Jewell Series. Saturday night was their eleventh appearance in the series and a very memorable one, as it included a Kansas City debut honoring series founder Richard L. Harriman. Kansas Citians continue to celebrate fellow native David Parsons’s original choreography, creativity, and, of course, his established humble company that never ceases to wow audiences near and far. The six selections of the evening’s program extensively covered an impressive range of styles and sentiments.

Breaking the ice was one of Parson’s earlier works, The Envelope. The satirical piece followed seven dancers and their relationship to a white envelope, in which they took turns receiving, stealing, giving, desiring, and wanting nothing to do with it. They battled conformity, all wearing black uniforms and glasses, while also being careful not to stand out too much. Possession of the envelope could be good or bad and sometimes made the owner act crazy, as one man performed a solo crouched down with the envelope in his mouth the whole time. As in today’s complex society, sometimes we are given something on a silver platter, sometimes we want things that end up hurting us, and sometimes we don’t know where opportunities may take us. Set to a variety of Rossini overtures, including The Barber of Seville and William Tell, Parsons succeeds at poking fun at our social norms.

Slow Dance featured three couples who began in a small rectangle of light, slowly and sensually moving together in waves. Most often the dancers glided around stage to the romantic phrasing of the violin, but on occasion they accented the piano part. The men routinely lifted their partners gracefully overhead as if exploring the space and each other. The pairs came back together at the end to their rectangle of light but just as the music softened, they quickly abandoned the confined space synchronizing their breaths out loud until the lights dimmed and that was the only sensory remaining.

The ensemble quickly changed paces into Swing Shift, which incorporated various popular dance styles one leading into another. The introductory group section was stale compared to the rest of the sections, which picked up as the music and choreography quickened and became more lively. The main tone of the piece was celebratory but also included an accented, isolated female solo and a charming and effortless duet.

The other full ensemble piece, Nascimento, was fun to watch and probably even more fun to perform. The dancers appeared to be having a party on stage set to Milton Nascimento’s easy-going Brazilian rhythms. Commissioned by the University of Arizona’s Festival in the Sun, the jazzy modern piece was light and casual with moments of soaring lifts, dancing in silhouette, and groovy individual and group offerings. 

Parsons dedicated one of his most recent creations Portinari to the memory of Richard L. Harriman, who passed away in 2010 and was one of Kansas City’s most loyal arts enthusiasts. Portinari is based on the life of Candido Portinari, a revered Brazlian painter and muralist. The curtain opened on a man painting a woman who, upon coming to life, can’t believe his own eyes. Sarah Braverman was beautiful and peaceful as Eric Bourne initially just observed his creation before joining her in a brief dance of love. The dramatic work culminated as Braverman poised high atop Bourne’s shoulders until at last she plunged to the ground. She arose to comfort him but Portinari’s story is tragic, as he ultimately died of lead poisoning.

The most thrilling program offering was Caught, Parsons’ 30-year-old pièce de résistance. Robert Fripp’s eclectic music composition began echoing in the darkness until soloist Steven Vaughn appeared in a lone spotlight. He slowly introduced the objective, abandoning one spotlight as another appeared. Unprepared for what was to follow, the strobe light began and Vaughn soared through the air when illuminated. The lighting effects allowed Vaughn to visually defy gravity outside of intermittent pauses where he calmly collected his breath and received rampant applause. Vaughn’s timing was impeccable and his jumps were dynamic and breathtaking.

Throughout the program, the ensemble was energetic, moving fully, committing to each unique style, and displaying smooth transitions. One of the best qualities of Parsons’ works is that each one tells a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The beginning introduces the premise and sets the tone, the middle is a variation on the theme, and the end presents at least a recommended resolution for observers. There also are recurring elements that make the works cohesive. Kansas City is lucky and proud to share their home with David Parsons and will certainly continue to welcome him and his company back for more exciting performances to come. 

REVIEW:
Harriman-Jewell Series
Parsons Dance
Friday, January 28, 2012
Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
1601 Broadway, Kansas City, MO
For more information, visit http://www.hjseries.org

Top Photo: Parsons Dance performs Nascimento (Photo by Angelo Redaelli)

By Victor Wishna   Tue, Jan 31, 2012

Dating back some 30,000 years, puppetry is one of the world’s oldest art forms—as theatrical players, puppets even pre-date human actors, according to some historians. The current production of Strega Nona at the Paul Mesner Puppet Studio is a pleasing reminder of why the genre has endured, and why Paul Mesner Puppets is an asset to Kansas City’s children—and the adults lucky enough to join them.

Appropriately, this Italian-themed folk tale is brought to life—or, at least, to three dimensions—through imaginative marionettes designed and constructed (by Mesner and Steve Shipman) in the traditional Sicilian style, with the puppets controlled via wire rods as well as strings. Directed by Mike Horner, this production is a revival of the version first staged here in the early ’90s, and features the entire original cast of puppets, as well as a quartet of talented, young puppeteers: Gabby Baculi, Cody Ross, Ryan Emmons, and Loren Wendelburg. Each ably imbued his multiple characters with distinct voices, movements, and personalities, to earn what should be high praise for any puppeteer: you wouldn’t know they were there.

The plot, made popular in a 1970s children’s book, is relatively simple: Strega Nona, a benevolent old enchantress who lives on the outskirts of Calabria and cures townspeople’s common ills with simple household remedies, leaves the affable oaf Big Anthony alone with her magic, bubbling, never-ending pasta pot. She warns him not to touch it, but, alas, he cannot resist, and—spoiler alert!—calamity and hilarity ensue.

At this particular performance—10 a.m. on a Wednesday—I happened to be the only person over the age of 9 who wasn’t a teacher or part of the cast and crew. Anyone who may have become inured to the magic of live theatre should attend a show with 100 third-graders. The simple dimming of the house lights brought cheers, followed by oohs and aahs as the first puppets appeared on stage. And when anything particularly funny transpired—for example, whenever Strega Nona’s insubordinate goat head-butted another unwitting puppet off his little wooden feet—the wave of high-pitched laughter was, well, unadulterated.

The script, by Mesner and Mark Weinstein, also includes some choice if cheesy chuckles for those grown-ups who may be accompanying the target audience: “I’m having a big hair day? But I’m not from Branson!” exclaims one character. Later, Strega Nona, who references “a visit to my local Olive Garden,” advises “if you’re going to San Francesco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair.” And then there’s this classic: “Crime and punishment? What a novel idea!”

Baculi and Horner collaborated on the set, a convincing enough impression of Renaissance Italy, while Lidia Kaminska’s music design sets a couple of scenes to traditional Italian operetta, and Art Kent’s lighting—a few projected stars—let’s everyone know when it’s nighttime. There are even some special effects, such as when Strega Nona wishes away her supplicant’s “chicken spots” and—pop pop pop—they magically disappear. “How did they do that?” whispered a little boy in the fifth row.

Afterwards, at a Q&A lead by Ross, the boy got his answer (the spots, attached to the puppet’s face by Velcro, are whisked off and away by a nearly invisible wire), as did many of the children who wondered how it all worked. But their enthusiasm did not dim at seeing the puppets up close, strings and all; simply realizing that puppetry—or theatre—is not magic was not enough to break its spell.

REVIEW:
Paul Mesner Puppets
Strega Nona
Runs January 25–February 19, 2012 (Reviewed Wednesday, January 25)
Paul Mesner Puppet Studio
1006 E. Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.paulmesnerpuppets.org

Top Photo: Cody Ross and Gabby Baculi and Strega Nona and Big Anthony of Paul Mesner Puppet's Strega Nona (Photo by gettheumbrella.com)

By Don Dagenais   Sun, Jan 29, 2012

The first concert in the Bach Festival was the Complete Brandenberg Concertos on January 24, so you may have missed it.  Or perhaps you were there.  In any event, not to fear…lots more is coming up in early February. 

On both February 10 and February 11, The Friends of Chamber Music present pianist Konstantin Lifschitz in two separate concerts. The Friday concert is Bach’s wonderful Italian Concerto in F Major along with Complete Inventions and Sinfonias (Two and Three Part Inventions) and the French Overture in B Minor.  Saturday’s concert will be dedicated to Book II of the Well Tempered Clavier.

Lifschitz also appears in a Valentine’s Day concert with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra at Helzberg Hall.  The orchestra will perform the Sinfonia from Bach’s cantata Ich steh mit einem Fuss im Grabe, and selections from Weichet nur, betrubte Shatten (the “Wedding Cantata”) with the sparkling soprano Sarah Tannehill Anderson.  Lifschitz will join the musicians for two Bach keyboard concertos, nos. 1 and 7.  Bruce Sorrell conducts.

On February 18, The Friends present Lifschitz in Helzberg Hall with the Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat Major “St. Anne,” BWV 552 and the Goldberg Variations (Aria mit Veränderungen), BWV 988.

The last installment of the Festival is a Music Alliance Production between The Friends of Chamber Music and the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. Lifschitz will perform The Art of the Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), BWV 1080. Also on the program is Vor Deinem Thron tret'ich hiermit,” BWV 668a.

Joining only select presenters in Europe and the Far East, The Friends of Chamber Music is the exclusive United States presenter of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear Bach piano masterworks. For five concerts, on three new pianos, in three of Kansas City’s finest venues, Lifschitz will play beautiful works by the composer that catapulted him to world fame

The Russian-born Lifschitz hit the international music scene at the age of 13 when he presented a landmark recital at the House of Unions in Moscow. The capacity crowd responded with an overwhelming enthusiasm. Four years later the Denon label recorded the 17-year-old in his deeply felt interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The recording, when released in 1996, was nominated for a Grammy Award and moved critic Edward Rothstein of The New York Times to acclaim Lifschitz’s performance “the most powerful pianistic interpretation since Glenn Gould’s.”

Now, Lifschitz gives recitals and concerto performances in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich, Leipzig and Dresden, as well as in international capitals such as London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Milan, Montreal, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tel Aviv and Tokyo.

To read detailed program notes on the Bach Festival click here. Program notes are on pages 61-79

2012 BACH FESTIVAL

The Friends of Chamber Music
Konstantin Lifschitz, piano
Friday, February 10 at 8:00 pm 
Folly Theater
12^th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org
Program:
Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971
Complete Inventions and Sinfonias (Two and Three Part Inventions), BWV 772 – 801
French Overture in B minor, BWV 831 


The Friends of Chamber Music
Konstantin Lifschitz, piano
Saturday, February 11 at 8:00 pm
Folly Theater
12^th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org
Program:
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, BWV 870 – 893


The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra with Konstantin Lifschitz, piano
Tuesday, February 14 at 8:00 p.m.
Helzberg Hall
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
1601 Broadway, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.kcchamberorchestra.org.
Program:
Sinfonia from Cantata “Ich steh mit einem Fuss im Grabe,” BWV 156
Keyboard Concerto No. 7 in G minor, BWV 1058
Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052  


The Friends of Chamber Music
Konstantin Lifschitz, piano
Saturday, February 18 at 8:00 pm 
Helzberg Hall
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
1601 Broadway, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org
Program:
Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat Major “St. Anne,” BWV 552
Goldberg Variations (Aria mit Veränderungen), BWV 988  


A Music Alliance Production
Konstantin Lifschitz, piano
Sunday, February 19 at 2:30 pm 
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.umkc.edu/cto
Program:
The Art of the Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), BWV 1080
 Chorale: “Vor Deinem Thron tret'ich hiermit,” BWV 668a 

By Erik Klackner   Sat, Jan 28, 2012

When Johann Sebastian Bach presented the Margrave of Brandenburg with the manuscript of six concerti for chamber orchestra, he wasn’t paid, thanked, or given a pie for his efforts. The concerti were, in fact, an application and résumé of sorts; Bach had applied for an organist job in Hamburg a year earlier, and the concerti were another attempt to land a new gig, though neither materialized. The six concerti ended up being sold by the Margrave’s estate with 170 or so other works by much more important composers like Brescianello and Valentini. Thus, the concerti were resigned to the dustbin of history until being published 130 years later and recorded another 100 after that.  

Musicologist Joshua Rifkin’s explanation as to why Bach’s reputation languished during his own lifetime is simple: his music was too hard. If that is the case, and my own experiences playing Bach tell me that it probably is, the Brandenburg Concertos (named so by Bach’s biographer Phillipp Spitta) are a perfect illustration of these difficulties. There are virtuosic solo parts that are as difficult as anything written in the subsequent 300 years, complex structures, counterpoint like none other; in short, the whole Bach enchilada. But ultimately they’re a test of how much a super-genius can do with fifteen or so stellar musicians in his neighborhood.

To that end, the musicians of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, opening the 2012 Bach Festival, succeeded in communicating the Bach-ian aspects. The evening was filled with sparkling individual performances: the mostly flawless pair of horns in the first concerto, the energetic string ensemble in the third, the rich and bright piccolo trumpet in the second. Harpsichordist Rebecca Bell, who generated a few audible gasps near me in her extended cadenza in the fifth concerto in spite of some missteps, brought the heat.

Any complaints I may have had with the evening largely rest with the festival’s honoree, Mr. Bach. The limitations on dynamics and expression of his time are, frankly, crippling to his art. It’s obvious that he is a master and blessed with a gift for counterpoint but when the hallmark of your works is the intricacy of the structures and the interaction of the musical lines it can be difficult to aurally appreciate in large doses. Analyzing Bach’s music is a revelation (just ask Mahler, who studied Bach’s counterpoint on his way to writing the amazing finale to the Fifth Symphony), but I left this concert wondering if it’s less a revelation to actually listen to. Various shades of mezzo forte are not enough for me, no matter how marvelously executed.

REVIEW:
Friends of Chamber Music and Kansas City Chamber Orchestra
Bach Festival 2012: The Complete Brandenburg Concertos
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Folly Theater
300 W. 12th St., Kansas City, MO
For more information, visit http://www.chambermusic.org 

By Victor Wishna   Wed, Jan 25, 2012

Victor Wishna: You were the Carlsen Center’s first house manager when it opened in 1991—years before it was even renamed the Carlsen Center. Did you say to yourself, “One day I’ll run this place?”

Emily Behrmann: [Laughs.] You know, at the time, I don’t think the thought that I might be in charge ever occurred to me. I enjoyed doing that, I enjoyed working with the volunteers, and being part of the performances was always a favorite thing of mine. I left that job, but stayed at JCCC, and went to our foundation, and did fundraising for many years—I was part of the capital campaign for the Nerman [Museum of Contemporary Art] and the Regnier Center (a technology complex) here on campus.

But then the opportunity arose to come back to the performing arts. I have a degree in music from the Conservatory at UMKC. I studied voice. Even when I was doing that, I felt that I didn’t really want to be a performer, didn’t want to teach; I liked the administrative end of the arts. At the time that was a little unique. They didn’t have a program to teach those sorts of things at UMKC. Very few universities did. I remember talking to my dean about it, that I might want to work in an administrative capacity or maybe get a degree in business, and he was like, “Well, are you going to work in a music store? What exactly are you going to do with that?” It was a little different back then.

Needless to say, I went into [arts administration]. I worked at the Kansas City Symphony for five years right out of college, managing their box office, and then later moved into marketing for them as well. And then I came here and have been at the college ever since.

I love this facility. It really is quite an accomplishment, for the college and for Johnson County. It’s the only thing out here of this scale and we’re the only ones who do this kind of professional presentation of artists from around the world.

VW: The diversity of productions and artists on your schedule is really remarkable. Last week saw Fiddler on the Roof, this weekend is the Jazz Winterlude with some funk, blues, and latin jazz—so you’re shifting smoothly from shtetl to salsa. How does all this fit in with the mission of the Performing Arts Series?

EB: The mission is to be a leader and an innovator in professional presentation of artists, in arts education, and in community outreach. So we do present the professional artists, but we also rent our space to community groups that come to perform. Other departments on campus use the space for presentations, as well as lectures and speakers. We like to feel like we’re part of the college, but also part of the community.

The Series, as it exists in the brochure, is 25 to 40 events a year. Last year, we had 170 events throughout the 12-month fiscal year, which included all those academic events, other groups, other department rentals, etc. It’s a busy facility.

VW: In what ways has the Series evolved in your time here?

EB: In the two years since I’ve been in the general manager’s position, part of what we wanted to accomplish is to broaden the audience that we were attracting with those Series presentations. We had been seeing season tickets declining. We were sticking to classical and chamber music, some theatre, some pop artists, but we were programming to a specific demographic; that demographic was getting older and just wasn’t coming as often. We felt the need to reach out to a broader demographic. We don’t want to disenfranchise the people who have been so loyal—we want to continue to offer things for them—but what about students on our campus, people who live nearby who have young families or are recent empty nesters, that sort of thing? If we’re going to have an audience 20 years from now, we must do something at present to attract that audience.

We did a blues show last year—Hot Tuna Blues—and we had more people here that normally go to Knuckleheads (the well-known jazz and blues saloon in Northeast Kansas City) than we’ve ever had before. It was different for them and it was different for us, but we reached people that we hadn’t reached before. I have patrons from that show call me occasionally to say, “Hey, do you know about this band? They would be great in your space.” It’s opened up an opportunity for us to communicate with a whole different part of the city that maybe didn’t see us as that alternative until we presented programming that they love.

VW: What’s the process for selecting and then inviting performers? 

EB: We have a program advisory committee that’s made up of about 20 to 25 members of the community and staff from around the college—not just in our department, but Student Activities folks, Continuing Education folks, some faculty, and then the members of the community, most of whom attend here regularly or have at some point. They’re a great barometer for me; I can throw out ideas and names of artists and get a reaction that’s very true to how our audience would feel. It’s also a great place to discuss different options. I try really hard, obviously, not to just program for me—it’s not about what I like or don’t like, it’s what our audience has asked us for, what they’ve enjoyed in the past, and a balance between what’s commercially successful and what’s artistically important.

VW: How do you strike that balance—that goal of attracting an audience versus the goal of art to challenge people, perhaps with something they haven’t been exposed to before? 

EB: That is a challenge. It’s interesting how people do put their trust in us. We have a really wonderful track record, and that’s certainly something I can’t take credit for. So for a lot of our regular attendees—if we put it out there, they trust that it’s going to be of high quality, even if it’s something they’re not familiar with. That’s a really great place to be, and something I’m very grateful for.

You do shows like Fiddler on the Roof, obviously, and we struggled with that in our committee, because the feeling was that Fiddler has been done to death—hasn’t everybody been in a production of Fiddler on the Roof? [Laughs.] And we decided, it’s a staple of the Broadway repertoire, and people do ask for Broadway on a regular basis, so let’s try it. And it was, by far, the best-selling show of the entire season. We even added a performance.

But then we also bring in the large orchestras, chamber ensembles, string quartets, and that kind of thing. We may not pack the hall with a chamber group, but that’s okay. There are people who want to hear that and it’s important to continue.

The college is facing challenges in the budget area, and of course, with the Kansas Arts Commission situation, other funding, and the economy, people will often throw that out—why are we doing these things when only a few hundred people are coming? Is that really what we should be doing? Well, yes, it is. But we have to find the balance to help support those things with the more commercial ventures. It is a juggling act.

VW: How would you assess the audience reach and community impact of the Series? 

EB: Our audience is about 80 percent Johnson County residents—that’s been true since we started. But I think we definitely have a place in the Kansas City arts community in terms of what we present. I think we’re a nice complement, a nice addition to that. We don’t like to think of ourselves as a strong competitor to things happening downtown; I think we’re an alternative for people. If they don’t want to go downtown every time to see something, they can come here.

VW: Yes, have you heard the news? We’re living in a golden age for the arts in Kansas City. So beyond being an “alternative,” how do you see the JCCC Series playing its role in the area’s growing arts scene?

EB: I do think we’re part of it, we’ve always had a stake in it. And this [growing interest in the arts] is making people across the metropolitan area aware of our existence and what we do out here. But we really present a much more diverse program than almost any presenter in the city. When you’re talking about things from Chinese acrobats to Fiddler on the Roof to the Munich Symphony to the Joffrey Ballet, we’re the only ones in the area that do that range of programming. Plus, we offer the opportunity for people to see a large orchestra from somewhere else in the world at a venue that’s close to their home that they can bring their kids to—I think that’s important. So, yeah, I do think we have a part in the whole Kansas City array of what’s available, because we just present some things that other presenters aren’t able to do.

VW: So to what degree has the opening of the Kauffman Center impacted the Series—in terms of programming and/or ticket sales?

EB: First, without the Kauffman Center, we—Kansas City—would never have come into our own, we would not be experiencing this golden age of the arts. A rising tide lifts all ships, and we’re a part of that—it’s brought more attention to the metropolitan area as a whole.

That said, I think we have seen some impact on [our] ticket sales. Not so much that they’re lower, but that they happen later. I think because there is so much on offer, and because of the economy, people just wait longer to decide what they’re going to do on a weekend. The week of a performance, sales start to bump, whereas five years ago that might have happened a couple weeks beforehand. I think the Kauffman Center has had an effect on that.

As far as an effect on our programming, that’s hard to say at this point. I mean, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Lily Tomlin (who appeared at the Kauffman Center this fall) have been [at the JCCC] in the past, so I think we are going to be looking at some of the same artists. But, just like we’ve worked with the Harriman-Jewell Series and with Cynthia Siebert’s Friends of Chamber Music, and the Folly Theater—we can talk about, “Well, what are you thinking about for next season? Here’s what I’m thinking about—let’s just be upfront and work things out.”

VW: When the Series began, it partnered with several Kansas City performing arts groups, from the Symphony to what was then Missouri (now KC) Rep. Does that kind of cooperation continue?

EB: I really feel that collaboration is one of the best ways to strengthen what we do, and hopefully other producers and presenters in Kansas City feel the same way. So working with other people in the city and trying to find our way through all those little things that could get very contentious or potentially competitive is the best way to make it all work together, because in the end it is all one big arts community.

We had Quixotic [Fusion] here last year on our season; we would love to have other Kansas City groups here, but what we’ve found is we need them to come out here and do something original that hasn’t already been presented somewhere else in the city. Sales are better for us when that happens. So working with groups for some premieres in our space is something I’m very interested in pursuing in the future.

VW: What are some of your other future goals for the Series—in the coming seasons and longer term? 

EB: I would love to be able to offer a workshop, a clinic, a lecture, some sort of outreach opportunity with every single artist that appears on the series. I don’t know that that will ever be an absolute, but it’s something we can certainly strive for. Because more and more artists are willing to share themselves, they’re willing to work with young students, they’re willing to talk about their process, and that can just be so instructive when you attend a performance and you know that background.

I would also love to see us do some festivals in this space, whether it’s a dance festival, a blues festival—we have a great space for that. With the Polsky Theatre, Yardley Hall, and then our other recital hall and classrooms, we would be able to pull that off easily—you know, with a lot of planning and, hopefully, a lot of money to throw at it.

Because of the situation with arts funding in Kansas, it’s important to show the current administration that the arts do have support in the community—not that they shouldn’t be supported by public dollars, but all the more reason why public dollars should be granted to the arts organizations; they’re part of our culture, part of our community, and part of people’s lives who live in this state. It’s very important to continue that and make at least a part of it publicly funded. That’s what people want; they want to feel it’s available to them.

I love my job, though. My father always said—and somebody famous had already said it, but I heard it from him—“Find something you love to do, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

For more information about the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College visit jccc.edu/performing-arts-series/

By Libby Hanssen   Wed, Feb 01, 2012

The Coterie Theatre, in partnership with the University of Missouri-Kansas City Theatre Department, launched their re-production of Laurie Brooks’ The Wrestling Season. The play, commissioned and premiered by the Coterie in 2000, follows eight teenagers as they tackle issues of bullying, violence, sexual identity, social pressure, homophobia, and the destructive power of rumors.

It’s a daunting, confrontational play, one that not only explores issues many children, youth, and adults constantly battle, but also pushes against the perceptions we have about other people—and ourselves. Even though the last decade has seen a cultural change in the acceptance of gay and lesbian youth, it continues to be a real and pertinent issue. Conversely, the subject of bullying and its ramifications has gained prominence in the media and school systems across the nation.

The riveting performance has breath-taking momentum, clocking in at a fast-paced 80 minutes. As might be inferred, the play is set during wrestling season; the stage is a centrally-placed tiered platform, topped by the type of wrestling mat ubiquitous to every high-school gymnasium.  Against this static setting, the cast, dressed in wrestling uniforms, knee pads, and sneakers, go through a strenuous work-out, both physically and verbally.

Directed by Leigh Miller (who in 2000 played the referee and served as assistant director to Jeff Church), this updated version also includes references to the prominence and power of social media, directly citing Facebook. The play has something of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” vibe, without clear resolutions to the various scenarios. This allows for further discussion during the post-performance forum, in which the audience is invited to a conversation with the characters.

The action follows Matt (Tosin Morohunfola), a high-school senior whose single-minded devotion to winning a wrestling scholarship blinds him to the needs of his best friend, Luke (Sam Cordes). Rival wrestlers Willy (Francisco Villegas) and Jolt (Rufus Burns) start a rumor that the two are gay. Jolt’s girlfriend Heather (Eva Biro) and her doe-eyed sidekick Nicole (Andrea Morales) eagerly spread the rumor, stirring up vicious gossip throughout the school.

Through well-intentioned but ill-conceived advice from Kori (Meredith Wolfe), Matt starts dating Melanie (Kelly Gibson) to squash the rumors. Not only does the plan backfire, but the ramifications of short-sighted action prove disastrous. Other sub-plots are threaded through the drama, addressing different angles from the different characters’ point-of-views.

The action is monitored by the referee (Greg Brostrom), who serves as an overseeing, but ultimately distant, adult character.

The cast, five of whom are graduate students in the UMKC theater program, do a masterful job of displaying the vulnerability of the characters as they slog through some murky moral territory. The technical crew, also partly comprised of UMKC students, created a realistic, yet highly dramatic environment.

The lighting cues, orchestrated with impeccable timing by Amy Owens, delineated the scene changes and the conscious/subconscious fluctuations. Both lighting and sound design (Art Kent and David Kiehl, respectively) came into play during the ingeniously-crafted slow-motion wrestling sequences, the blue tones spotlighting the incredible physical control of the actors against a sonic background of thrashing heavy metal.

Set design was by Lee Berhosrt and costumes were by Georgianna Buchanan.

The Coterie has also teamed up with community organizations devoted to helping children and teens confronting abuse, violence, sexual issues, and thoughts of suicide, providing take-away referee “coins” listing resources. More information is available on their website. 

REVIEW:
Coterie Theatre and UMKC Theatre
The Wrestling Season
Runs through February 19 (Reviewed Friday, January 27, 2012)
First floor of the Crown Center Mall
2450 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO
For tickets and more information, call 816-474-6552 or visit www.coterietheatre.org.

Top Photo: Matt (Tosin Morohunfola) and Luke (Sam Cordes) in The Wrestling Season (Photo by J. Robert Schraeder)

By Kristin Shafel Omiccioli   Wed, Feb 01, 2012

Beginning with Schubert’s String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor for Sunday's presentation by the Lied Center of Kansas, the members of Chiara demonstrated a strong grasp of the material through their seemingly effortless technique. Their expression and physicality was absorbing and made this delicate, dark piece more intriguing. The ensemble moved together fluidly—swaying, passing the lines among them like in comfortable conversation. There is no one leader in Chiara, as all four members appear to communicate equally and non-verbally with ease on stage.

Second on the program was Milagros [Miracles] by Gabriela Lena Frank, who was in attendance. A commission from their Composer/Curator project, Milagros is a personal, nostalgic journey through the Andean lands of South America. Opening with a dramatic yet mysterious violin solo brilliantly performed by second violinist Julie Yoon, the work immediately draws you onto its sensory, narrative path. Each movement painted aural pictures of the Andean experience—the natural landscape, the people, the music. My favorite “miracles” were the fourth, “Danza de Tingo Maria,” which featured a forceful alternating pizzicato figure that mimicked a picked guitar tremolo, played impeccably with a driving intensity, and the sixth, “Adios a Churin.” This movement highlighted cellist Gregory Beaver with meaty, lyrical lines he deftly executed, wholly conveying their aching, melancholic character. The introduction's theme returned in the final movement, this time handled with just as much eloquence and conviction by first violinist Rebecca Fischer, bringing the piece’s arc to a satisfying conclusion.

Brahms’s String Quartet in B-flat minor rounded out the concert, affording attention to violist Jonah Sirota. Sirota’s sensitive phrasing enhanced the part’s rhapsodic quality. All instruments were muted through the third movement, and the subdued timbre created a shadowy feel that was a welcome contrast to the rest of the piece. Chiara’s musical rapport—balanced harmonies, dynamic energy, tight rhythms, masterful technique—resulted in a bright interpretation of a piece verging on the Romantic period.

Chiara is at once inviting, accessible, and also adventuresome with their programming without alienating their audience, and more than lives up to the meaning of its name: “clear, pure, light.” Despite the large size of the Lied, Chiara was able to create an intimate space with their musicality and stage presence. The group’s consistent accolades and recent Grammy Award nomination (its recording of Jefferson Friedman’s String Quartet No. 3) are well deserved and come as no surprise, especially after hearing them live in concert. 

REVIEW:
Lied Center of Kansas
Chiara String Quartet
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Lied Center of Kansas, KU Campus
1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence, KS
For more information, visit www.lied.ku.edu

Top Photo: Chiara String Quartet (Photo by Roger Ressmeyer)

By Tom Marks   Tue, Jan 31, 2012

Early music filled Kansas City Friday evening with the Friends of Chamber Music’s presentation of Les Violons du Roy with recorder virtuoso, Maurice Steger, who performed Baroque repertoire of Handel, Telemann, Sammartini, and Geminiani. Les Violon du Roy, conductor Bernard Labadie, and Maurice Steger pose interesting questions regarding historical performance practice. Dogmatic academic types would be eager to critique and more eager to chastise the ensemble’s anachronistic performance choices—the tuning was set at modern pitch instead of Baroque pitch and the instruments used steel instead of gut strings. Yet the combined forces put together a riveting and exciting concert of early music without being completely historically accurate. Did this pose a problem? No, not always. Concerts like this one provide simple, clear, and resounding answers to the problematic issues of historical performance that have permeated musicological discourse for decades.

George Frideric Handel’s Concerto Grosso in B-flat major, Op. 6, No. 7, “Hornpipe,” displayed the ensemble’s organic cohesion and natural rapport with Labadie in its initial Largo. A feisty fugue followed. The subsequent movements highlighted Les Violons du Roy’s performance strengths. Each musician exhibited an undeniable enjoyment for the act (and art) of performing. Smiles could be seen on the cellists’ faces as they played the bouncing bass line in the brisk Andante. Labadie did justice to Handel by shaping interesting phrases, sometimes energetically charging toward the first violins to contour the musical line. These traits were most evident during the final movement, an energetic “Hornpipe,” that the selection simply exuded vivacious spirit.

Maurice Steger joined Les Violons du Roy for Georg Philipp Telemann’s Suite in A minor for alto recorder, strings, and basso continuo. Steger is an unquestionable virtuoso of his instrument. Not only does he display consistent technical perfection, but he also possesses a natural ability to connect with an audience, which heightens his impressive technical skills.

Telemann’s suite of various dance forms displayed a breadth of artistry not only in Steger’s playing, but in Les Violons du Roy’s as well. The opening movement, a French-style overture, paired together stately dotted rhythms with quick, contrasting contrapuntal sections. The latter allowed for Steger to display his prowess in rapid musical passages, including a speedy harmonic sequence that seemed to unwind forever without Steger even hinting at the slightest need for a breath. Slower, more legato movements were just as impressive. Steger has a comprehensive understanding of musical line continuously supported by unfaltering breath control. Rightfully, Steger and Les Violons du Roy received a rousing standing ovation at the close of the concert’s first half.

Giuseppe Sammartini’s Concerto in F major for soprano recorder and strings was a continuation of the fantastic musical displays previously exhibited. Steger, now working just as impressively on a soprano recorder instead of the alto, involved his whole body in his performance. His physicality onstage directed and informed the way he played the music and, undoubtedly, the way the audience received it.

Francesco Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D minor, “La Follia” (after Corelli) gave Steger a break from the spotlight and transferring back to the dynamic Les Violons du Roy. The work, composed of 25 different variations on the famous “La Follia” theme, showcased the great variety of music that Les Violons and Labadie are capable of performing. While one variation exhibited the ensemble’s intimate, lyrical capabilities, the next quickly changed tempo and displayed dexterous finger-work in the harpsichord, violin, and cello. Closing the concert, Steger returned to the stage for Geminiani’s Concerto No. 10 in F major for recorder and orchestra (after Corelli). Much like the conclusion of the first half, the virtuosic performance of this final Geminiani piece brought the audience to their feet, and brought Steger and Labadie back to the stage multiple times.

With captivating performances like the one displayed by Les Violons du Roy and Maurice Steger, audiences can partake of an early music interpretation that manages to simultaneously preserve the historical and academic truths of the music’s original context, but sings in relevant, relatable ways to the twenty-first-century listener.

REVIEW:
Friends of Chamber Music
Les Violons du Roy with Maurice Steger, recorder
Friday, January 27, 2012
Folly Theater
300 W. 12^th Street, Kansas City, MO
For more information, visit www.chambermusic.org

Top Photo: Bernard Labadie with Les Violons du Roy members (Photo by Camirand Photo)

By Michael D. Smith   Tue, Jan 31, 2012

A Dangerous Method is tangled period piece of sound quality with beautifully shot locations and an ultimately rather tragic storyline. Fassbender proves yet again that he’s becoming a household name while Viggo Mortensen’s skill as an actor is a thrill as always to watch.

In 1904, a Russian Jew named Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) is delivered kicking, screaming, and laughing hysterically to a Swiss clinic where Dr. Carl Jung (Fassbender) uses a new talking therapy technique developed by Dr. Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) to find the root of her problem.

During the sessions with Spielrein, Jung uncovers a history of physical abuse that she reveals has always excited her sexually. Jung’s success with the new therapy eventually leads him to Vienna where he meets Freud and they share a 13-hour long conversation with one another, beginning an increasingly turbulent friendship between the two that lasts until 1910.

A Dangerous Method proposes their relationship soured because of Jung’s desire to explore astrology and alchemy as part of his psychoanalytical work; Freud’s class envy of Jung’s wealthy lifestyle; and Jung’s decision to lie to him about an extramarital affair he was having with Spielrein who was studying to become a doctor herself.

Directed by David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises, A History of Violence), the screenplay was adapted by Oscar-winning writer Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) from his 2002 play The Talking Cure, which was based on the 1993 non-fiction book by John Kerr, A Most Dangerous Method: the story of Jung, Freud, and Sabina Spielrein.

Cronenberg’s effort is not as dark as some of his previous works, but the performances he gets from his two males leads are just as superb. Fassbender infuses his character in the beginning with a youthful, optimistic exuberance with a keen, yet also obsessive interest in what would become psychoanalysis. As the film progresses, Fassbender skillfully tears down Jung’s stability a little piece at a time as he gives into his carnal desires for Spielrein.

Mortensen delivers an even-keeled performance as Freud and he shares some wonderful scenes with Fassbender as the two men exchange dialogue in a seemingly effortless manner. It’s like watching DeNiro and Pacino in the 1995 film, Heat.

For her part, Knightly holds a decent Russian accent throughout the film, but her performance at times is too desperate and therefore over-the-top.

On a letter grade scale from “A” being excellent to “F” for failing, A Dangerous Method receives a B.

A Dangerous Method is rated R and has a running time of 99 minutes.

Now showing through February 2 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square
4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for more information

Glenwood at Red Bridge
11118 Holmes, Kansas City, MO
Visit http://www.fineartsgroup.com/subpages/theatre.php?th_uid=6 or call 816-942-1131 for more information.

By Nihan Yesil   Tue, Jan 31, 2012

The latest guest of the Muriel Kauffman Theater in the Kauffman Center for the Performaning Arts was the legendary South African all-male choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The lively group entertained and shared their personal experiences through the hypnotizing harmonies and heartfelt melodies of South Africa "spreading their message of peace, love, and harmony."

Ladysmith Black Mambazo was founded by Joseph Shabalala in 1960 and became an international sensation after their collaboration with Paul Simon on his album Graceland. Shabalala is still leading the group over fifty years later without the slightest sign of weariness.

Most of the numbers were about the daily life of a farming community and living in harmony, many of which are available on the group's albums including Shaka Zulu, winner of the Best Traditional Folk Recording Grammy Award in 1988. Lighthearted humorous songs, "Imbongolo (The Donkey's Complaint)" and "Yangiluma Inkukhu (The Biting Chicken)," brought widespread smiles while those from Paul Simon’s collaboration, "Homeless" and "Rain Rain Beautiful Rain," softened hearts.

The balance and harmonies were impeccable. From the start, the group performed as a single body and sound. The vocal range of the group was equally impressive. The basses stood out as deep, resonant, and jaw-dropping with their velvety tone.

Members took turns showing of their skills in dancing which was a stark contrast to their subtle facial movements. The dancing was an excellent showcase of self expression and communication. One of the most remarkable aspects of the performance was that even though the singers performed vigorous dance segments, followed immediately by singing, the collective sound never faltered or changed. These guys can do jumping jacks for ages and sing as beautifully and with the same control as if nothing happened. 

Upon receiving a deserved standing ovation, Ladysmith Black Mambazo performed two encores, one of which, "Old Macdonald…Zulu Styl" [sic], called for audience participation. It was such a joyful moment experiencing the almost full house echoing with "Old MacDonald had a farm…" in unison. 

REVIEW:
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Series
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Tuesday, January  24, 2012
Muriel Kauffman Theater, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 
For more information, visit http://www.kauffmancenter.org/

By Erik Klackner   Mon, Jan 30, 2012

Occasionally a concert comes along that has enough potential excitement in it to satisfy two nights, and last Wednesday’s visit from the Hamburg Symphony was one of them. Maestro Jeffrey Tate led the orchestra in a hall-of-fame program featuring Vaughan Williams’ delightful Wasps Overture, Brahms’ massive Violin Concerto and Dvořák’s magnificent Symphony no. 7. Unfortunately, the anticipated energy filling Helzberg Hall never fully materialized, and I was ultimately left frustrated and let down.

A brief word on the Kauffman Center, as this was my first trip to the new venue. The interior reminded me of some kind of cross between a train station, a rave club, and the trendiest hospital in all of Finland. The steel and beams supporting the huge glass windows were very cool looking, but there was a sterility to the whole thing that surprised me. Once inside Helzberg Hall though, everything became warmer, probably because there’s an insane amount of wood in there. I was surprised at how few seats there were, but I enjoyed the intimacy of the space; it reminds me quite a bit of Severance Hall in Cleveland in its atmosphere. And frankly I enjoyed the randomness of the seat colors. It’s a thousand miles from the Lyric Theatre, even if it’s only a 5-minute walk.

The Hamburg Symphony displayed their virtuosity right out of the gate in the Wasps Overture, showing a wide dynamic and expressive range, particularly in the strings, which played with one of the meatiest collective tones I’ve ever heard in performance. This coincided with my conception of what a German orchestra sounded like in person: aggressive but controlled, powerful but responsible. It’s staggering to consider the quality of German orchestral playing when the Hamburg Symphony may not even be one of the 15 best orchestras in that country of 81 million, because they sounded spectacular.

Violinist Guy Braunstein joined the orchestra for Brahms’ concerto dressed in what can best be described as comfort casual: untucked black button-up shirt and quasi-luxurious slacks. I tend to think that this type of dress projects an unspoken confidence bordering on arrogance, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s a great DVD of Freidrich Gulda playing and conducting the Beethoven Emperor Concerto dressed in a blue T-shirt that is three sizes too big and some sort of African hat—he looks ridiculous, but he plays the heck out of the piece in a carefree way that one can probably only get by dressing like an idiot.

Braunstein displayed a similar carefree confidence throughout his performance, and the results were mixed. The introduction was glacial but so beautifully executed that it felt right, the rich string tone filling the hall in spite of the hushed dynamics. With the first entrance of the soloist, a couple trends emerged that carried through the work. The first was Braunstein’s flexibility, particularly in the upper register, which allowed for sweet tone on the more lyrical bits. The second was the choppiness of the rhythms, which worked in some spots but not in others. The orchestra played its supporting role well, particularly in the beautiful oboe solo to begin the second movement which benefitted from Tate’s hurried tempo. Overall, though, I was left wanting more pathos and drama than was offered, although I may have been alone in that since the audience clapped after every single movement (they did this in the Dvořák as well, so maybe not). In spite of Braunstein’s confident playing, things never felt like they were on the same page.

After intermission, Tate led the orchestra through Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, a giant ball of energy and edginess. Regrettably there were quite a few problems that made it unsatisfying, not the least of which was Tate’s conception of the work—I wrote in my program that it was “almost universally disastrous interpretively” and then underlined it twice. The tempo of the opening movement was too slow to be able to maintain the ferocity that seethes just below the surface and it lay stagnant in spite of some tremendous playing. Conversely, the scherzo tempo was entirely too frenetic, and even though the orchestra showed tremendous chops keeping up, the whole thing seemed like an uncomfortable frenzy. The finale featured some wild and seemingly random tempo shifts that never allowed the movement to generate any momentum. On the plus side, the requisite audience intrusion into the music that seems to take place at every concert nowadays was in this instance a beeping watch that went off two separate times but was actually in tempo with the music. SYNERGY!

Most troubling was the overall approach to the sound, which was smoothed and rounded in the way that one might shape Brahms. The Seventh is Dvořák’s most Brahmsian symphony, but it still has so many distinctively Czech elements that were sadly missing. There were no angles, no sharp edges and everything seemed to get swallowed up into a great and globular warmth. I will be most interested to hear how much responsibility Helzberg Hall bears for this, because this was a steak dinner with no knives.

REVIEW:
Harriman-Jewell Series
Hamburg Symphony Orchestra with Jeffrey Tate and violinist Guy Braunstein
Wednesday, January 25 at 7:00 p.m.
Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
1601 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO
For more information, visit http://hjseries.org

Top Photo: Guy Braunstein

By Sarah Young   Thu, Jan 26, 2012

By KCM Staff   Tue, Oct 28, 2008

By   Wed, Feb 01, 2012

 Johnson County Community College’s Performing Arts Series is seeking applications for the college’s Community Arts Partners program. Between Feb. 1 and March 15, 2012, the college will accept applications from organizations wishing to become Community Arts Partners for the 2012-2013 academic year.

The partnerships help nonprofit community organizations present programming in the college’s performing arts spaces. For partners, the rental fee is waived for Yardley Hall, Polsky Theatre or Recital Hall for one day (8 a.m. to midnight) on a space-available basis.

Potential community arts partners must be not-for-profit 501(c3) organizations, but not necessarily performing arts groups. Johnson County groups receive preferential consideration. Benefits or fundraising activities are not eligible.

“At JCCC, community is our middle name,” said Emily Behrmann, general manager, Performing Arts Series. “We’re proud to support local organizations by providing access to a professional performance space in which they can showcase their talents and abilities.”

Community Arts Partnership applications are available from Performing Arts office; call 913-469-4450 to request one or pick one up on campus in room 105 in the Carlsen Center. Applications are also available online at http://www.jccc.edu/performing-arts-series/community-arts-partnership.html. Return completed applications to Behrmann in the Performing Arts office or mail them to her at JCCC, box 14, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66210. 

Tue, Jan 31, 2012

For complete Theatre listings through 2012, click here to visit the KC Events calendar.

American Heartland Theatre
Beer for Breakfast
Runs January 6 through February 19
For tickets call 816-842-9999 or online at www.ahtkc.com
Call or visit the website for performance days and times 

Four middle aged buddies reunite for a "guy's weekend" complete with old music, cheap beer and enough cholesterol to stop Superman's heart. These guys are out to prove they've still got it, so they are going to party like it's 1978! It's all going well until one of them doesn't show up...but his wife does. Snowed in overnight, an epic struggles ensues: Will man be judged the superior sex or will woman prevail? Will love truimph or will the old grudges win? And finally, perhaps most importantly, if Doritos are made of corn, why can't they be considered a serving of vegetables? Starring some of Kansas City's favorite actors, Cathy Barnett, Scott Cordes, Martin English and playwright Sean Grennan

Kansas City Repertory Theatre
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Spencer Theatre
Runs January 20 through February 12
For tickets call 816-235-2700 or online at www.kcrep.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

Labeled “sassy, ingeniously staged and deeply affecting” by the New York Times this is a new adaptation of Mark Twain’s American literary narrative The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by acclaimed playwright Laura Eason and veteran director Jeremy Cohen. Together they have created a work that is full of imagination and fresh theatrical style. Growing up in a small Missouri town on the banks of the Mississippi River, young Tom spends his days making mischief, avoiding school and famously tricking others into doing his chores.The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a classic coming-of-age story that will fire the imaginations of young and old alike. This production ofTom Sawyer is produced through special arrangement with Hartford Stage and in collaboration with Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

Read the KCM review here.

Quality Hill Playhouse
My Romance
Runs January 20 through February 19
For tickets call 816-421-1700 or online at www.qualityhillplayhouse.com
Call or visit the website for performance days and times 

The lush melodies of Richard Rodgers combined with the clever lyrics of Lorenz Hart have made their partnership one of the greatest in the Great American Songbook, producing songs that are at times frivolous and playful, at times sad and wistful. This cabaret tribute celebrates the best of the best, with soul-stirring renditions of timeless classics “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Blue Moon,” “Isn’t It Romantic?” and, of course, “My Romance.” Starring Lauren Braton, Jon Daugharthy, Stephanie Laws and J. Kent Barnhart at the piano, with Ken Remmert on drums and Brian Wilson on bass.

Read the KCM review here.

The Coterie Theatre
The Wrestling Season
Runs January 24 through February 19
For tickets call 816-474-6552 or online at www.coterietheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times 

With only a wrestling mat and a referee, eight teenagers struggle with how others see them and the destructive power of rumors. Commissioned and premiered by the Coterie in 2000, it is one of the most important plays in the Coterie's history and more significant today than ever. After each performance, the referee guides the audience through a post-show Forum. As the actors, in character, discuss their actions with us, we rank their behavior from most to least objectionable.

Read the KCM review here.

Paul Mesner Puppets
Strega Nona
Runs January 25 through February 19
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.paulmesnerpuppets.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times 

In this hilarious Italian folk tale, Big Anthony is left alone with Strega Nona's magic bubbling pasta pot. He is warned not to touch it, but he can't resist. But before you can say "Fetuccini Alfredo," pasta is pouring out of the pot into the entire village! Holy Cannoli! To restore order before Strega Nona returns, Big Anthony tries to eat his way through town and winds up with a belly-full of problems.

Read the KCM review here.

The Unicorn Theatre
Next Fall
Runs January 28 through February 12
For tickets call 816-531-PLAY or online at www.unicorntheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

Luke and Adam are deeply in love, but there is a twist to their five-year relationship. Luke is a Christian and Adam is an atheist. A witty and provocative look at faith and commitment, Next Fall was nominated for a 2010 Tony Award for Best Play.

Starlight Theatre
Disney’s Aladdin (Theatre for Young Audiences version)
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Runs February 1 through 5
For tickets call 816-363-7827 or online at www.kcstarlight.com
Call or visit the website for performance days and times 

Welcome to Agrabah, City of Enchantment, where every beggar has a story and every camel has a tail! All of your favorite characters are here in this stage adaptation of the Disney hit, including Aladdin, Jasmine, and of course, the Genie. Filled with magic, mayhem, and flying carpet rides, audiences' spirits will soar with excitement. Most of all, the tuneful, Academy award-winning score with songs including "A Whole New World" and "Friend Like Me" will certainly make this musical a favorite for many years to come!

Jewell Theatre
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (adridged)
Runs February 3 through 4
For tickets and more information, call 816-415- 7590 or email theatre@william.jewell.edu. 

A Senior Theatre Performance by Karinga Bielecki.

UMKC Theatre
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
Runs February 3 through 19
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.umkctheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times 

This daring and wildly comic play by Stephen Adly Guirgis was a sensation in New York and London.  Director Barry Kyle will put his own brand of creativity on this performance as the courtroom drama plays out in “God and The Kingdom of Heaven and Earth vs. J. Iscariot.”  The production previews Feb. 3–7 and runs Feb. 8–19 at Studio 116, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center. 

Kansas City Actors Theatre
Billy Bishop Goes to War
Runs February 10 through 26
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.kcactors.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

The successful partnership continues with UMKC Theatre and one of Kansas City’s true treasures, The National World War I Museum, in this musical drama and one-man show about the Canadian WWI fighter pilot Billy Bishop. Written and composed by John Gray in collaboration with Eric Peterson, it will be directed by John Rensenhouse.

The White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center of Kansas City
The Who’s Tommy
Runs February 11 through 26
For tickets call 913-327-8054 or online at http://www.jcckc.org/cultural-arts/
Call or visit the website for performance days and times 

Pete Townshend’s tale of a young boy’s journey from pain to triumph is the most electrifying evening of rock and roll ever to play in the theatre. After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother’s lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors.  As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar. 

One Night Only
Lied Center of Kansas
Elvis Lives
Thursday, February 2, 7:30 p.m.
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu/

This multimedia Elvis extravaganza features a talented group of performers representing four of the King’s memorable eras: the 1950s, 1960s, the concert years and his movie career. Starring the winner and finalists from Elvis Presley Enterprises’ Worldwide Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, as well as an Ann-Margret tribute artist, Elvis Lives is a pulse-racing musical journey through the rock’ n’ roll icon’s life and career. With a live band, movie footage and images straight from the Graceland archives, audiences "Can’t Help Falling in Love" with this phenomenal concert experience.

One Night Only
Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College
The Color Purple
Friday, February 10, 8:00 p.m.
For tickets call 913-469-4445 -864-2787 or online at www.jccc.edu/performing-arts-series/

The Color Purple is based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity, and discover her unique voice in the world. With a joyous, Grammy-nominated score featuring gospel, jazz, pop and the blues, The Color Purple is about hope and the healing power of love. This production is directed by Gary Griffin and features a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning composers/lyricists Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, and choreography by Donald Byrd. Rounding out the creative team are Tony Award-winner John Lee Beatty (sets), Paul Tazewell (costumes), Tony Award-winner Brian MacDevitt (lighting), Craig Cassidy (sound design), Steven M. Bishop (orchestrations/arrangements), and Jasper Grant (music director).

One Night Only
Equity Actors Readers Theatre (EARTh)
Born Yesterday
Monday, February 13, 7:30 p.m.
For tickets email kipniven@gmail.com 

Born Yesterday, Garson Kanin's delightful romantic comedy classic, will be the fourth production in EARTh’s (Equity Actors’ Readers’ Theatre) 2011–2012 season of script-in-hand staged readings of seldom-produced plays. The reading will be performed Monday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Music and Arts Building, St. Teresa’s Academy, 5601 Wyandotte. Admission is free. The cast will feature Katie Karel, Patrick DuLaney, Darren Kennedy, Teri Adams, Peggy Friesen, Herman Johansen, Michael Rapport, Ken Remmert, and William Grey Warren. Born Yesterday will be directed by Doug Weaver. Jim Mitchell will be the Production Stage Manager.

One Night Only
Lied Center of Kansas
Mamma Mia!
Tuesday, February 14, 7:30 p.m.
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu/

 A mother, a daughter, three possible dads and a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget! When a young bride-to-be tries to find her father, three different men from her mother’s past travel to a Greek island paradise in this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship. Mamma Mia! is the ultimate feel-good show featuring some of  ABBA’s greatest hits. Seen by more than 45 million people around the world, Mamma Mia! remains one of Broadway’s top-selling musicals.

For complete Theatre listings through 2012, click here to visit the KC Events calendar.

KCMetropolis only previews and reviews events that are posted on the KC Events Calendar.  If you would like to list your event on the KC Events Calendar to be considered for coverage, click here for instructions.

By   Tue, Jan 31, 2012

Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director William Whitener today announced the Ballet’s 55^th season.  Whitener stated, “Our inaugural season at the Kauffman Center was wildly successful. The Kansas City community embraced the Ballet with renewed fervor and we look forward to expanding our repertory and reaching new audiences this season as well.”

Kansas City Ballet’s Fall and Winter performances and The Nutcracker will be accompanied by the Kansas City Symphony conducted by Kansas City Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau.

2012–13 Season
Fall Performances
October 12–21, 2012 | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Music performed by Kansas City Symphony
Carmina Burana is one of the most requested ballets by Kansas City audiences. A thrilling tapestry of dancers, singers, and orchestra, the entire production is set to Carl Orff’s heart-pounding score. Carmina Burana shares the evening with Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s complex and inventive Mercury and Ben Stevenson’s End of Time, a pas de deux exploring the bond between the last man and woman on earth.   Mercury, an abstract ballet in five movements, is drawn from five symphonies by the mercurial and passionate composer Franz Joseph Haydn. Taylor-Corbett said, “Just as Haydn’s music has a bright side and a dark, down side, so I want my choreography to reflect this duality.” Featuring music performed by Kansas City Symphony, these three works guarantee a powerful and emotionally stirring performance.

The Nutcracker
December 1–23, 2012 | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Music performed by Kansas City Symphony
Kansas City Ballet will present Kansas  City’s favorite holiday tradition, The Nutcracker, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The Nutcracker, featuring the music of Peter I. Tchaikovsky and choreography of Todd Bolender, returns for 20 public performances and two matinees for schools. This two-act ballet continues to delight audiences with its magnificent sets, costumes and special effects. Three casts of Kansas City Ballet dancers, plus more than 200 local youngsters ages 7 to 17 selected from Kansas City Ballet School, will perform E.T.A. Hoffman’s story. The Nutcracker tickets will go on sale to the public Oct. 22, 2012.

Winter Performances
March 15–24, 2013 | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Music performed by Kansas City Symphony
Kansas City Ballet’s 55^th anniversary season will continue with the return of William Whitener’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream based on William Shakespeare’s comedy about the romantic misadventures of two mortal couples and the king and queen of the fairies. This encore presentation features the music of Felix Mendelssohn with spoken text narrating Shakespeare’s timeless comedy. Joining A Midsummer Night’s Dream are two Kansas City audience favorites – Splendid Isolation III by Jessica Lang, and Concerto Grosso by Toni Pimble … the second Pimble ballet to be presented in KCB’s 2012–13 season. The romantic duet Splendid Isolation III is set to the music of Mahler and exemplifies the work of Lang that prompted The Denver Post to write, “Expect big things from Lang. She is a major choreographic talent.” Pimble’s Concerto Grosso is a dynamic, but also tender, visual feast that features 14 dancers in a blend of classical and contemporary dance styles set to the music of Ernest Bloch.

Spring Performances
May 3–12, 2013 | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Celebrate the golden age of jazz with Hey-Hay, Going to Kansas City, an original ballet paying tribute to the era of nightclubs and dance halls when Kansas City was considered the Paris of the Plains. Kansas City Ballet also brings you the nationally acclaimed Common People, choreographed by Margo Sappington and set to the spicy vocals of actor William Shatner with music by Ben Folds. The subject of a feature-length documentary, Common People fuses music, poetry, and dance. A new work by Lawrence native and internationally acclaimed choreographer Karole Armitage completes this dazzling, unique night of dance.

Visit www.kcballet.org for more information about Kansas City Ballet’s 2012-2013 season and www.kauffmancenter.org for a downloadable media kit about the Kauffman Center.

About Kansas City Ballet
Founded in 1957, Kansas City Ballet is a 25-member professional ballet company under the direction of Artistic Director William Whitener and Executive Director Jeffrey J. Bentley. The company’s mission is to offer the community, region and dance profession, dance experiences of the highest quality. Kansas City Ballet is home to the Kansas City Ballet School for 600 children and adults, offering professional training for the career-minded student as well as for those seeking a healthy lifestyle. Through the professional company, school and community outreach programs such as ROAD, Project X, and Dance INFORMances, the Kansas City Ballet seeks to nurture and develop artists, audiences and students in the creativity, diversity and joy of dance.  Kansas City Ballet’s new home, the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity at Union Station, in conjunction with the new stage at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, is poised to make Kansas City and Kansas City Ballet a true destination for dance.

Mon, Jan 30, 2012

Pro Arte Quartet
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Wednesday, February 1 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.umkc.edu/cto

As part of its Conservatory Artist Series, the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance presents the internationally known Pro Arte Quartet, a group of musicians who are carrying on an 85-year tradition of chamber music excellence. In addition to touring nationally, the group is the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. On the program for this performance are works by Haydn, Franck and contemporary composer Walter Mays, the latter piece one which was commissioned for the Pro Arte Quartet.


Vivaca Genaux with the Europa Galante Chamber Orchestra
Harriman Jewell Series
Friday, February 3 at 8:00 p.m.
Folly Theater
12^th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-415-5025 or online to www.hjseries.org

This listener remembers purchasing a recording of arias by Alaska-born mezzo soprano Vivaca Genaux several years ago on the recommendation of a friend, and listening with amazement at the extraordinary vocal facility of this young singer. She rarely appears in this country, but frequents both concert and opera stages in Europe. This season, for example, she appears in Musikfest Bremen, in Switzerland's Le Settimane Musicali, and with Opéra de Lausanne in France. She also appears with the Asociación Asturiana de Amigos de la Ópera in Oviedo, Spain, with Nicholas McGegan and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and on the stage of the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Her exceptionally flexible mezzo soprano voice is not unlike that of Kansas City native Joyce DiDonato, and in fact the two share much of the same repertoire. This season she is focusing largely on the vocal works of Vivaldi, and it is her Vivaldi recital that she brings to the Folly Theater stage for the Harriman Jewell Series. Her recording of Vivaldi’s opera Bajazet a couple of years ago won this comment from a reviewer: “Vivaca Genaux has become one of the heartthrobs among Baroque music enthusiasts, as well as fans of the Rossini-Donizetti bel canto repertoire.  To this music she brings not only her timbre with hints of darkness, but also an energy and communicative warmth that succeeds in attracting the public’s affection.”


Mahler’s Second Symphony
Kansas City Symphony
Friday, February 3 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 4 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 5 at 2:00 p.m.
Helzberg Hall
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
1601 Broadway, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org

For its first season in Helzberg Hall the Kansas City Symphony is, as you well know, pulling out all of the proverbial stops in order to bring Kansas City some of the greatest works in the symphonic repertoire in order to explore the remarkable acoustics of the new venue. One of the concerts which has been on most music lovers’ “must see” lists since the beginning of the season has been this one, with Michael Stern conducting the musicians in Gustav Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 2. 

This is one of those symphonic-choral masterworks that became popular after Beethoven introduced chorus to symphonic composition in his pathbreaking Symphony No. 9 (coming up later this season, by the way).  The full Kansas City Symphony chorus will be on hand, as prepared by director Charles Bruffy, along with soprano soloist Jessica Rivera and mezzo-soprano soloist Kelley O’Connor.

In this symphony, Mahler expresses virtually every kind of emotion that can be embraced in symphonic music – it runs the gamut from the high drama and heroic song of the first movement to the charming and lyrical folk song of the second, to the humor and mischievous playfulness of the third, to the heroic choral and mezzo-soprano intonations of the German poem Knaben Wunderhorn in the third movement, to the splendid, clanging climax of the fifth and final movement.  It will be a roller coaster ride. Pack the valium.


Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater
Performing Arts Series at JCCC
Friday, February 3 at 8:00 p.m.
Yardley Hall
Johnson County Community College
12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS
For tickets call 913-469-4445 or online at www.jccc.edu/TheSeries

Aficionados of dance will want to check out this group, consisting of ten dancers, singers and instrumentalists who “grace the stage to promote and preserve Spanish dance culture in all its forms,” according to publicity materials. Also appearing will be guest artists Christian Lozano and Paloma Gomez. The group performs classical Spanish dance, folkloric works, and, of course, flamenco!


Conservatory Orchestra
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Friday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.umkc.edu/cto

Robert Olson and the Conservatory Orchestra of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance present an orchestral program which will include Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, the Sacre du Printemps (Rite of Spring) by Stravinsky, and the overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila by Glinka. All three are orchestral standards, so this should be a very entertaining concert.


William Baker Festival Singers
Sunday, February 5 at 3:00 p.m.
Faith Lutheran Church
4805 West 67th Street, Prairie Village, KS
For tickets visit www.festivalsingers.org or purchase at the door

The winter concert of the William Baker Festival Singers will include choral works by Brahms, Bruckner, Holst, di Lasso and Gibbons, and also modern compositions by Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen and Paul Mealor.  In addition, the group will sing American folk hymns and African-American spirituals.


 

Super Bowl Sunday Organ Recital
with Jan Kraybill
Sunday, February 5 at 3:00 p.m.
Community of Christ Temple
201 South River, Independence, MO
For tickets call 816-833-1000 or online at www.CofChrist.org/dome_spire

Organist Jan Kraybill, who was profiled on KCMetropolis.org a few weeks ago, (click here to read the article) will present her annual Super Bowl Sunday Organ Recital at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, featuring her usual lineup of organ favorites. One of the leading organists in Kansas City, Kraybill always gives an excellent recital and can be counted upon to provide some great listening on Sunday afternoon, in case football is not your cup of tea. 


University of Kansas Orchestra Concerto Concert
University of Kansas School of Music
Monday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m.
Lied Center, University of Kansas
1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence, KS
For tickets call 785-864-3436 or online at www.music.ku.edu

The University of Kansas School of Music orchestra presents a concerto concert at the Lied Center. As of the writing of this column, no information about programming is available.


Robert Weirich, pianist
Kansas City Musical Club Recital
Monday, February 6 at 12:00 noon
First Lutheran Church
6400 State Line Road, Prairie Village, KS
For tickets call 913-384-5340 or online at www.kcmusicalclub.org

The Kansas City Musical Club presents Robert Weirich, the renowned piano professor at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, in a noontime recital as a benefit for the Kansas City Musical Club, which uses the funds to provide scholarships for music students.


Concert 3: Worlds Apart
newEar Contemporary Music Ensemble
Saturday, February 11 at 8:00 p.m.
All Souls Universal Unitarian Church
4501 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.newear.org

newEar presents the Clarinet Quartet of contemporary Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, composed in 1993, as the major piece in this concert. Also on the program are Andrew Norman's string trio Sabina shimmers with sonic resonance and Lansing McLoskey's longingly melancholic Processione di lacrime in which the players to perform in different tempi simultaneously.

Local composers Ingrid Stölzel, whose new trio For the Time Being, and Nick Omiccioli, with Invisible Worlds, offer works receiving their Kansas City premieres.


Mozart and More
Topeka Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m.
White Concert Hall
Washburn University
For tickets call 785-232-2032 or online at www.topekasymphony.org

Conductor John Strickland presents guest artist Nicholas Ciraldo, classical guitar, in a program featuring Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 (the “Haffner”) and his Overture to The Impresario along with Harvey’s Guitar Concerto and the Mother Goose Suite of Maurice Ravel.

Ciraldo has won awards at numerous competitions, including the Tredrez-Locquemau International Guitar Competition (France), twice at the MTNA Guitar Competition (USA), the Gaetano Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition (Italy), the GFA Solo Guitar Competition (US), and the Portland International Guitar Competition (US).  Dr. Ciraldo has enjoyed numerous solo, chamber, and concerto performances throughout the United States, South America, and Europe, from Boston’s Jordan Hall to Berlin’s Berliner Dom to Brazil’s Teatro José Maria Santos.


Lee Hauskonzert
Bach Aria Soloists
Sunday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Private Home
Shawnee Mission, Kansas
For tickets call 816-820-1473 or online at www.bachariasoloists.com

Elizabeth Suh Lane’s Bach Aria Soloists present several delightful concerts a year at private homes, emulating the parlor music tradition of old. Seating is very limited but the concerts are a pleasure and feature some of the city’s finest chamber musicians “up close and personal.”  Moreover, there is often food and drink aplenty afterwards. These concerts are usually sold out well in advance, but check to see if there might be some spots available. Faure, Kreisler, Bach and Paganini are on tap for this Valentine’s special.


Valentine’s Day in Paris
Fine Arts Chorale
Monday, February 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, February 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Californos Restaurant
4124 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-6222, or online at www.fineartschorale.org

Terri Teal and the Fine Arts Chorale have begun a tradition of performing a Valentine’s Day concert at Californos Restaurant in Westport, a delightful local eatery which has long been enthusiastic in its support of local arts organizations.  And the food is scrumptious, too.  These concerts will enable you to dine delectably at Californos and take in the sweet tones of the Fine Arts Chorale as well.  The singing will include a concert of French love songs with guest artists, popular local jazz singers Shay Estes (Monday) and Monique Danielle (Tuesday).

What better gift for your Valentine! Reservations are a must, of course.


Chamber Ensemble of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra
Monday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Lied Center, University of Kansas
1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence, KS
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu

This concert, part of the Lied Center’s Chinese Festival, features an ensemble dedicated to conserving and sustaining Chinese folk music. The group performs significant works from its homeland on traditional Chinese percussion, wind and plucked-string instruments. Praised for its distinctive style and superb performances, the ensemble celebrates China’s significant history with a broad repertoire that features folk orchestra, national and Cantonese music.

KCMetropolis only previews and reviews events that are posted on the KC Events Calendar.  If you would like to list your event on the KC Events Calendar to be considered for coverage, click here for instructions.

By   Tue, Jan 24, 2012

The Missouri Citizens for the Arts has requested a $3 million recommendation for the Missouri Arts Council for Fiscal Year 2013 (July 1, 2012- June 30, 2013).  Governor Nixon presented his State of the State Address last week, where he announced his budget recommendations.

MCA generated over 130 arts advocate calls to the Governor's office in December.  Due to a $500 million projected shortfall for FY2013, the Governor announced numerous cuts.

However, Governor Nixon did recommend  $600,000, in new General Revenue funds for the Missouri Arts Council's Cultural Trust Fund.  At the end of FY2012, the Trust will have a balance of $4.5 million.  MCA has requested full spending authority from the Cultural Trust Fund to pay for programs in FY2013.

For MAC's Cultural Partners, Governor Nixon recommended an increase of $100,000 for Public Broadcasting, Public Library networking, Historic Preservation, and Missouri Humanities Council.

The total amount collected from the non-resident professional athlete and entertainers tax (A&E tax) by the end of December, 2011 (first half of FY2012), was $21,300,000.  By state statute, which is subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, the Missouri Arts Council is supposed to receive 60% of the amount collected.

The next step of the budget process is the House Appropriations Committee for Economic Development.

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE -  For Economic Development

Members are:

By   Tue, Jan 24, 2012

The Ruel Joyce Recital Series at Johnson County Community College begins its 23^rd year with performances by some of Kansas City’s finest classical musicians.

The recitals, which are free and open to the public, are scheduled at noon each Monday from Feb. 20 to April 16. All are held in the Recital Hall of the Carlsen Center unless otherwise noted.

•  Feb. 20     Boris Allakhverdyan, clarinet; David Sullivan, horn; Dan Velicer, piano
•  Feb. 27     Tami Lee Hughes, violin; Ellen Botorff, piano
•  March 5    Tom Aber, bass clarinet; Ron Hathorn, clarinet, flute, piccolo; Mark Cohick, clarinet,  piccolo clarinet; Pat Conway, percussion
•  March 12  Jan Faidley, saxophone; Michael Hall, viola; Susan Rieger, dancer; Polsky Hall                                   
•  March 19  Yuntian Liu, piano
•  March 26  Music by Forrest Pierce; Sarah Tannehill, soprano; Michael Kirkendoll, piano
•  April 2      Francesca Manheim, violin; Kairy Koshoeva, piano
•  April 9      Maria Ioudenitch, violin; Tatiana Ioudenitch, piano
•  April 16    Lee Harrelson, euphonium

The series is named for Ruel Joyce, a longtime jazz bassist who headed the local musician’s federation from 1977 until his death in 1989. Seating is available first-come, first served.

By   Sun, Jan 22, 2012

The Kansas City Symphony announced  their sophomore season in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday. An impressive collection of distinguished guest artists will join the Symphony and Music Director Michael Stern for the 2012–13 season, performing innovative and diverse repertoire designed to showcase the Symphony as well as the acoustics and state-of-the-art technical capabilities of their performance home, Helzberg Hall.

"Our first season in Helzberg Hall has exceeded all of our expectations," said Music Director Michael Stern. "But the revelatory design and exquisite acoustics are only a part of the story of the Kauffman Center, for it has already established itself in the fabric of the city and region as a whole. The real thrill has been what is happening inside, and that is what inspires us now – to make this magnificent place a living vessel for great music and art at its most transformational. Moving forward into our second season, I love the idea of sharing cherished works by great masters, in this place re-imagined as if for the first time. I love welcoming to our stage a starry array of celebrated guest soloists and conductors, as well as younger bright lights making their debuts. And I love welcoming the talented and imaginative young American composer Adam Schoenberg as Composer-in-Residence. I love our newest musical project “Symphonic Pictures," in collaboration with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, deepening our partnership and our mutual celebration of Kansas City. These are just a few of the reasons why the 2012–13 season at the symphony will be so special."

The 2012–13 season ticket renewal process will begin immediately. 

2012–13 CLASSICAL SERIES

The Symphony’s classical series will feature fourteen programs, each presented in three performances at Helzberg Hall.  Highlights of the season include Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, Mahler’s Sixth and Tchaikovsky’s “Little Russian.”  The Symphony will be joined in Orff’s Carmina burana by the Kansas City Symphony Chorus, which is led by Grammy Award-winning director Charles Bruffy. Other audience favorites will include An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss and Symphonies No. 3 and No. 6 “Pastoral,” both by Beethoven; as well as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

“Our inaugural season in Helzberg Hall has redefined the Kansas City Symphony experience, and has also transformed the very act of attending a symphonic concert,” said Executive Director Frank Byrne.  “The direct connection with the audience is as never before.  I believe that Helzberg Hall is a magical place where symphonic music is brought to life with a kind of excitement and power that is unforgettable, and it will only continue to get better in our thrilling second season. As I say frequently to many of our audience members, ‘you haven’t seen anything yet!’ ”

World Premiere 

Michael Stern, entering his eighth season as Music Director, will introduce the world premiere of Adam Schoenberg’s new work, co-commissioned by the KCS and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which was inspired by the museum’s collection.

Other innovative programming selections coordinate to form a “Symphonic Pictures” theme during the season, including Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky/Ravel; Martinu’s Frescoes of Piero della Francesca; Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler; plus an additional work from Schoenberg, Finding Rothko.

KCS Debuts

We celebrate the Kansas City introduction of organist Caroline Robinson, whose appearance is supported by the Almy Legacy Fund – a program which makes it possible each season to feature one of the most promising young talents from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (the alma mater of Music Director Michael Stern). And in collaboration with UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, the Symphony is excited to welcome Eighth Blackbird Ensembleperforming Jennifer Higdon’s On A Wire.

Also making their KCS subscription debuts are: guest conductor Osmo Vanska, music director of the Minnesota Orchestra; noted violinist Vadim Gluzman and pianist Lise de la Salle; as well as cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan, gold medal winner of the 2011 Tchaikovsky International Competition.

Distinguished Soloists and Guest Conductors

The 2012–13 classical season will feature a stunning collection of guest artists and conductors who are sure to delight audiences, including internationally acclaimed violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Gil Shaham, pianists Garrick Ohlsson andJose Federico Orsorio, plus soprano Christine Brewer. We welcome back two favorite guest conductors: Nicholas McGegan and Asher Fisch who will also be performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17.

POPS, FAMILY AND HOLIDAY CONCERTS

The Symphony’s four concert Pops Series gives audiences the option of attending on Friday or Saturday evenings.  This popular series boasts a range of musical styles from Dancing with Stars-inspired choreography in Ballroom with a Twist, to the latest generation of Broadway musicals, to the jazz standards of Kansas City master Bobby Watson. And the powerful voice of Jennifer Holliday will resonate throughout Helzberg Hall when she appears together with legend Marvin Hamlisch.

The Kansas City Symphony’s Family Series introduces children the world’s greatest music through light-hearted, shorter programs including Farkle and Friends, narrated by John Lithgow; the highly entertaining magic of mimes; and The Orchestra Games, where the personalities of instruments are explored through friendly sporting competitions!

The holidays would not be complete without Handel’s Messiah, with three performances to choose from, featuring the Symphony Chorus and the Independence Messiah Choir; and the return of Christmas Festival, Kansas City’s grandest holiday concert of classic Christmas carols and songs of the season.

By   Wed, Jan 11, 2012

 Citizens’ for the Arts Day at the Legislature, hosted by Missouri Citizens for the Arts (MCA), takes place annually at the Missouri State Capitol. Citizens Day is MCA’s signature event in the year-round efforts to advocate for continued public funding for Missouri’s arts industry. The day includes advocacy training, legislative visits, performances and the annual Missouri Arts Council’s annual Arts Awards ceremony.

Participants in Citizens’ Day are key in providing the educated, strong voice of support for the arts that ensures the continued attention of the General Assembly towards the economically and educationally important industry that we know the arts to be.

Advocacy efforts of other industries – doctors, nurses, auto dealers, attorneys – are very organized and well-funded. It is therefore essential that individual artists, arts organizations, arts patrons and arts volunteers join together similarly, as one industry, to show the impact of the arts on Missouri.

Missouri Citizens for the Arts is a non-partisan, state-wide, grass roots organization that advocates to secure financial support for the arts to benefit Missouri and its citizens. They provide information about advocating for the arts, in general, about the impact of the arts in Missouri  and the importance of arts education in Missouri schools. Interested citizens can help support the organization by becoming a MCA member, volunteer and attending MCA events, you can help make a difference for the thousands of arts patrons, volunteers, arts businesses and agencies and artists living and working in our state.

You can read more about MCA and Citizen's Day here.

Register here for Citizens' Day www.citizensday.eventbrite.com

Citizens Day Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Schedule: 
9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Registration in the Governor's Office Building, outside of Room 450, at 200 N. Madison Ave, Jefferson City (across from City parking garage and Governor's Mansion)

10:00 - 10:30 a.m. First-time Advocate Training, Governor's Office Building, Room 450

10:30 - 11:45 a.m. Legislative Briefing, Governor's Office Building, Room 450.  Get first-hand information on what the latest advocay news is at the capitol affecting the Missouri Arts Council's budget

11:45 - Head to State Capitol for Visits with State Legislators in their offices Go to www.moga.mo.gov to find contact and office information for your Legislators

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Performance by Jazz St. Louis All Stars, in Capitol Rotunda, 1st floor

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.  Open House in Treasurer Clint Zweifel's office, Room 229, See the great Bingham paintings and meet the Treasurer who invests the Missouri Cultural Trust funds

2:00 p.m. Missouri Arts Council Award Ceremony in Capitol Rotunda, 1st floor

MCA encourages you to contact your area legislators and invite them to lunch with their area arts advocates. Many luncheons are hosted in Senate offices, since they are larger than House offices. If you are already a member of MCA, please contact your Regional Vice President to participate in the luncheon from your region.

To ensure a large attendance for this year's CDL, the event is FREE to all dues paying members of Missouri Citizens for the Arts. A non-member fee of $15 will be charged.

Bus transportation is being organized from various regions and will be posted as soon as details are available.

The MCA Executive Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 7, at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 7:00 p.m. Ria's Restaurant, 3550 W. Edgewood Dr., Jefferson City, 65109

By   Mon, Jan 09, 2012

The Charlotte Street Awards to Generative Performing Artists support artists living in the Greater Kansas City Metro Area (Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Platte & Wyandotte Counties). Launched in 2008, these awards specifically recognize innovative, generative artists working in the fields of dance, theater/performance art, music/sound & hybrid/interdisciplinary/new media versions thereof. These awards recognize generative artists, meaning individuals actively creating original, new work in their fields- i.e. they are composers, playwrights, choreographers- in addition to very often being performers as well. All eligible artists are encouraged to apply.

Two Awards of $8,500 each will be distributed in 2012. These Awards are unrestricted, seeking to support the continued creative and professional development of the selected artists, provide the means for them further to focus on and to develop their work, and increase exposure for their accomplishments.  The Awards are open to both emerging and established artists, rewarding accomplishments to date as well as future promise.

All applications must be submitted through www.callforentry.org. Deadline is February 15, 2012 at midnight.

The selection panel of national and Kansas City based performing arts professionals, with expertise in a range of performing arts fields, who will be solely responsible for selecting the 2012 Fellows includes:
Emily Behrman, General Manager, Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College
Justin Kantor, Co-owner, le Poisson Rouge, New York
Cynthia Levin, Producing Artistic Director, Unicorn Theatre
Sixto Wagan, Artistic Director, Diverseworks, Houston

Download the full details here:
http://www.charlottestreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/charlotte-street-foundation-2012-generative-performing-artist-awards.pdf
Or Go directly to the application:
https://www.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=893&sortby=fair_name&apply=yes

By KCM Staff   Mon, Jun 16, 2008

Many thanks to ArtsJournal.com's editor, Douglas McLennan
~ Formerly an arts columnist and arts reporter with the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer and the Seattle Weekly. Doug writes on
the arts for a number of publications (in his abundant free time)
and is currently acting director of the National Arts Journalism
Program while it reinvents itself ~

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