Classical,
Mining for masterpieces
Every composer has one wonderful, heartfelt work that was overlooked. Most composers have more than one. They are pieces that were possibly presented at the wrong time, to the wrong person, in the wrong setting. Pieces that end up forgotten. The upcoming recording Modern Masters by Octarium plans to resurrect those lost gems, polish them and present them anew. 
Octarium's Artistic Director, Dr. Krista Blackwood, enjoys mining for underperformed musical material. Her programs have consistently offered listeners a taste of the obscure. Whether the group is commissioning brand new pieces specifically for their voices, altering existing pieces for eight soloists, or digging the depths of choral libraries for works unknown, the result is always a concert with surprises around each turn.
For this recording project, their fourth, Dr. Blackwood contacted a variety of composers. "I asked them which of their pieces they thought had not received enough exposure and/or which pieces they would like to hear Octarium sing. The response was overwhelming."
Ten composer/collaborators where chosen from the pool of respondents. All of them masters indeed. Rene Clausen, John Corigliano, Daniel Gawthrop, Stephen Hatfield, Libby Larsen, Morten Lauridsen, Stephen Paulus, Steven Stucky and Eric Whitacre will all be represented on the recording.
In addition, Opera composer, Mark Adamo will also be included. Both Blackwood and Octarium Alto Andrea Coleman have had the pleasure of singing Jo in his opera Little Women. (Blackwood was the second only mezzo soprano to perform the role.) Adamo reworked his two contributions specifically for the group. "Originally written as one piece, Canticle, he divided it into two (Pied Beauty and The Poet Speaks of Praising) and re-voiced the entire thing. "The piece originally featured male trebles so minor adjustments were made to feature the female sopranos of Octarium. It was nothing short of miraculous...they are fantastic pieces." says Blackwood.
The singers working on the project come from Seattle, Boston, Springfield, MO and locally from Lawrence and Kansas City to rehearse and meld into eight as one. Ashley Winters and her husband Ben Winters, Renee Stanley, Andrea Coleman, Leah Jenkins, Jason Parr, Jay Van Blaricum all met and worked together at K.U. Brady Shepherd joined the group when Blackwood was music director at St. Andrews Episcopal Church.
The recording is scheduled to launch by mid-November 2009 and will be available on itunes a few months after that. Audiences will be able to hear the release concert Modern Masters on November 14th at Visitation Catholic Church and November 15th at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Lawrence.
Singing together from college, through adulthood as they grow from students to parents to teachers themselves, their long tenure has mellowed their maturing sound. Just entering their prime, this ensemble is set to take center stage, Nationally, very soon.
Octarium
Modern Masters
November 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Visitation Catholic Church
5141 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
November 15 at 2:30 p.m.
Corpus Christi Church
6001 Bob Billings Parkway, Lawrence, KS
For tickets call 816-729-6516 or online at www.octarium.org
KC Events this week and beyond
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theSTEADY,
Jeff Harshbarger loves the sound and fury of alternative jazz
Jeff Harshbarger was handed a violin at age four and began learning traditional music, but he knew early on that he wouldn't stop there.
"I wanted to be versatile. I love variety in my life."
As the curator of the recordBar's Alternative Jazz series, Harshbarger shares this philosophy with Kansas City music fans on Sunday evenings twice a month.
"The guys at the recordBar approached me and said, 'Hey Jeff, you've got a lot of crazy shit. Why don't you put something together?'"
Offered the opportunity to have free reign over a recurring music showcase, Harshbarger knew he wanted to give a platform to musicians and composers interested in modern improvisation and the creation of new works. He felt that while Kansas City relished its rich jazz and blues history, it lacked an outlet or appreciation for its current, generative artists.
Harshbarger feels that the Alternative Jazz series provides those artists with a platform. "Now the town's opening up to a new jazz heritage."
The type of jazz that Harshbarger prefers doesn't follow traditional forms. "Experimental jazz has been around since the '60s. It's about being in the moment. Improv. It doesn't follow chord structures or song structures."
Harshbarger uses Mark Southerland's Wee Snuff group as an example. "The band plays toy instruments."
"We want to remove old forms and paradigms, to create new thought. You want to grow and challenge yourself. As a musician, would you want to play the same five songs?"
The artists who take part in the series aren't all "crazy, freakout jazz," Harshbarger explains, but they must share his passion for new movement and work. "I like to bring in a variety of music and composers."
Some offerings are local and regional, other acts are influential on a national scale. New York City musicians Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco, Andrew Bird, Trey Anastacio) and Allison Miller (Natalie Merchant, Ani DiFranco, Marty Ehrlich, Doctor Lonnie Smith) have played the Alternative Jazz series. World music virtuosos Eastern Blok have dropped in from Chicago.
Hometown veterans such as Todd Wilkinson and The Goombahles, Mark Southerland's Urban Noise Camp, and freak jazz godfather Arnie Young have all been invited by Harshbarger to the recordBar stage. The People's Liberation Big Band (with Harshbarger on bass) plays once a month for the series.
Harshbarger thinks that the recordBar is well-suited for educating audiences about new jazz. "It's a larger room, not a small club that doesn't have the amenities like lights and sound that the recordBar does. It's like reverse outreach. We're educating audiences. We've created an environment of a listening room, not a meat market."
Still, Harshbarger understands that his ultimate goal for the audience is to "have good time, be entertained and engaged."
Fans of the Alternative Jazz series agree.
Twice a month, audiences visit the recordBar to appreciate new compositions or immerse themselves in music being improvised right then and there, in the moment. They abandon themselves to the twists and turns, drifting along in a musical stream-of-consciousness. They let the pattering of notes wash over them, perhaps not comprehending the music's hidden meanings but knowing it is sound and fury signifying something nonetheless.
For more information on Jeff Harshbarger or the Alternative Jazz series visit www.jeffharshbarger.com or www.therecordbar.com.
Photo credits: Paul Andrews
theSTEADY,
The Goombahles at the recordBar’s Alternative Jazz series
The recordBar has made a name for itself as one of the premier music venues in Kansas City, showcasing an eclectic mix of national and local rockers, folksters, and indie tastemakers. About fifteen years ago, however, the predominant sound floating out of its strip mall doors was jazz.
Jeff Harshbarger and I chat about this as the evening's featured band begins to set up. He points out the bandleader, Todd Wilkinson. Harshbarger had invited Wilkinson to return to the space that his own jazz joint, the Drum Room, used to inhabit.
"Yeah, he painted that entire ceiling. By himself," Harshbarger chuckles.
Wilkinson has a pleasant homecoming as he and his talented quintet, the Goombahles, deliver a night of polished, original jazz compositions.
While the Alternative Jazz series gets a kick out of experimental, improvisational jazz that quite possibly might freak you out, its main purpose is to provide a platform and outlet for modern jazz musicians and composers to showcase their new, original work. New work that fits within the traditional mode of jazz is included among the more edgy stuff.
The Goombahles, who bill themselves as "purveyors of mildly disreputable jazz" fit within the more traditional framework and actually assess themselves quite accurately. They're gritty enough to roll up their sleeves from time to time but mainly stick to executing the slick, melodic arrangements of their original work.
They open with "Stumbling," a smooth blues-inflected jazz number that evokes a welcome touch on a first date. It warms up the small crowd, which is a mixture of veteran jazz lovers and young enthusiasts. The performance sets the tone for the evening:
Todd Wilkinson (saxophone) is a democratic band leader who usually controls the melody but affords each of his players ample time to show their craft in well-placed, tasteful solos that are neither laborious nor self-indulgent.
The ensemble itself is tight and loaded with stellar local talent such as Matt and Ben Leifer (drums and bass respectively), Matt Hopper (guitar), and T.J. Martley (keyboard). The musicianship on display is impressive but the early portion of the set suffers from too much easy-going breeziness.
Aside from a few dexterous bass and drum solos where the Leifers threaten to break rank into jazz odyssey territory, the first few songs begin to blend together. Even though "Homage to Evans," a piece inspired by Bill Evan's "Blue in Green," is relaxing and romantic, the room begins to settle into a lukewarm temperature.
Fortunately, the band senses this and springs the Rocky and Bullwinkle-themed "Moose and Squirrel" on the room. The song is spry and playful, with a sense of excitement and anticipation. There's even a hint of danger as the band dances through the piece with a spirit of boldness and adventure.
The room begins to fill just at the right time. The Goombahles are at their best on funkier, up-tempo numbers like "Metro-morphosis," the danceworthy "Curse of the Dock People," and the quirky and cheeky "Flock of Beagles."
Their quieter moments are well-executed, particularly "Patricia," a pretty ballad that Wilkinson wrote for his wife. A cover of Victor Young's "Stella by Starlight" doesn't disappoint either. But despite some fine melodic interpretation, the songs just don't showcase the off-the-wall energy that the Goombahles can summon up during their upbeat numbers.
Wilkinson tells a story about a song he wrote for Dizzy Gillespie while he was in Australia in 1989 and the band erupts into rollicking blend of jazz, blues and rock. Wilkinson goes on a tear, taking his saxophone on joyous runs. Leifer provides funky bass lines and Hopper even gets to shred a bit during his guitar solo.
The Goombahles can play sweet songs gorgeously but as "purveyors of mildly disreputable jazz," I think they should be encouraged to lose the "mildly" bit and go ahead and sully up that reputation. Jazz fans are delighted when things get a little dirty.
Review:
Jeff Harshbarger presents
An Alternative Jazz series:
The Goombahles
Sunday, August 30, 2009
recordBar
1020 Westport Rd., Kansas City, MO
www.toddwilkinson.net or www.therecordbar.com
Film,
"Adam" is not your typical romance
Let's face it, romance on the silver screen often follows a plodding, predictable format that's given a nice, big red bow at the end to help insure that everyone leaves satisfied. It may upset some apple carts, but the new romance Adam pushes the crayons outside the lines with a colorful, heartfelt presentation of a complicated relationship.
Adam Raki (British actor Hugh Dancy) has lost his father. It's a tragic scene made even sadder by the fact that while the now-deceased Mr. Raki was a devoted father to his only son, he was perhaps overly so because of Adam's Asperger's Syndrome. As such, Adam has difficulty adjusting to a new life on his own even with the assistance that old family friend named Harlan (Frankie Faison, The Wire) tries to provide.
When he makes his first apparent foray into the world of doing one's laundry, Adam encounters Beth Buchwald (Australian actress Rose Byrne, Knowing), a newly arrived tenant in his building. Beth is a grade school teacher and an aspiring writer who is still hurting from a past relationship. Whether it's purely out of loneliness or genuine attraction is hard to say, but Beth develops feelings for Adam.
Adam's life becomes even more topsy turvy when he suddenly loses his job. Now he's expected to find a job on his own for the first time, share a relationship with a girl, socialize with people, and meet Beth's rich parents - Marty (Peter Gallagher) and Rebecca Buchwald (Amy Irving).
The lifeblood of any film, no matter its special effects, costumes or big names on the marquee, is its story. Because of this, much credit is due to Adam's writer and director Max Mayer. While Mayer's previous work has predominately involved helming TV episodes (The West Wing, Alias and Family Law), Adam proves he deserves more cinematic opportunities as was justified at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival when it received the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.
Mayer's story, which is set against some terrific shots of the New York City skyline, is emotionally moving with smart doses of humor placed in perfect moments throughout its running time. While his two primary leads are relatively unknown in America, they should turn heads as they breathe life into two lonely people whose love is unconventional.
On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, Adam receives an A-.
Adam is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 109 minutes.
Held over through September 24 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO.
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for showtimes.
Classical,
Golden tones of brass and organ
The combined musical forces of The Missouri Brass Quintet with organist John Schaefer seemed to pop the top off the Gold Dome Cathedral last Sunday afternoon with soaring brilliant tones and sublime musical expression. Kansas Citians eager to hear the final concert of the Summer Music at the Cathedrals series filled the pews of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to near capacity in anticipation - and were richly rewarded.
A brief welcome message from Ed Blasco of Immaculate Conception was partially lost to the lively reverberation in the marble laden expanse of the beautifully renovated cathedral. The series owes its success to the joint efforts of Mario Pearson representing the Catholic Immaculate Conception Cathedral, and John Schaefer of the Episcopal Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, who together organize and program the weekly chamber music series sponsored by the two Cathedrals to meet the appetite of the Kansas City classical music community during the slow month of August.
The opening tones of the Fanfare from La Peri by Paul Dukas, played by The Missouri Brass Quintet from the narrow south gallery ledge beneath the rose window, burst forth into the Cathedral space with a gleaming brilliance. It was the best I have ever heard this gem performed. Perfect intonation among the five brass players and clean articulation performed within the context of spotless ensemble announced to the audience the beginning of an afternoon of glorious music. But above all of that, their beauty of tone reigned supreme. Had they played Chopsticks with those beautiful ringing tones, the hearts of the audience members would have been kindled to withstand four seasons of winter. The Quintet's fabulous tone production in that live acoustic setting resulted in the fullness of sound of an ensemble of 20. The members of the MBQ are trumpeters Keith Benjamin and Joseph Parisi, French hornist Ellen Campbell, trombonist for this concert Stephanie Bryan, who filled in for vacationing quintet regular JoDee Davis, and tuba player Tom Stein.
The brass fanfare was followed by the Prelude and Fugue in G major for organ, Op. 37, No. 2 by Felix Mendelssohn performed exquisitely by Canon Musician John Schaefer, organist and choirmaster of the Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. As a member of the Trinity Choir at GHTC which Canon Schaefer directs, I have the highest respect for his consummate musical artistry which he shares so generously with the Kansas City musical community, and do hereby disclose with candor my bias in his favor. Having stated that for the record, it would be remiss to refrain from noting the organist's contributions to a concert in which the organ was so prominent in seven of the nine works on the program; hence I continue my review. The warm colors and radiant glow of Mendelssohn's organ prelude were a perfect match to the warm tones of the brass in the previous piece. Some music just makes every cell in one's body sing and smile. Mendelssohn played by Schaefer does that for me. Mendelssohn's seemingly boundless fount of melodic joy fares so well in the hands of Schaefer because he intuitively causes every musical line to sing as if it were a vocal part of the ideal choir he must hear in his mind, the one that never sings "just the notes", but always sings their parts beautifully realized and in perfect balance to the other parts to evoke the ultimate musical expression inherent in the composition.
The Fugue brought shifts in registrations from the Ruffatti organ that showcased the tonal colors of that impressive instrument, all performed upon the pipe organ, not upon its adjunct electronic components. Even the bass pedals (played by feet) carried the musical line forth as if it were a very musical bass singing in the world's most expressive choir. Especially effective was the sostenuto pedal tone that held firm as the lines above built upon each other to the high point of the fugue. Even in fortissimo, the tone quality of the organ had a beautiful singing quality driven by the musical line.
Richard Strauss' Feierlicher Anzug (Solemn Processional) for organ together with the brass quintet was not on the same compositional par as the first two pieces. Its thickly orchestrated slow moving structure worked well in terms of the acoustic, but the piece was a bit of a sludge.
The Partita on 'Jesu, Meine Freude' for organ, composed by Johann Gottfried Walther, a cousin of Bach, showcased Schaefer's versatility in achieving contrasting tonal colors. Once again, Schaefer's remarkable talent for making the organ sound like an ensemble of chamber music artists catapulted his interpretation into the realm of the stellar. The set of variations cumulatively drew one into a meditative state enhanced by the beauty of the cathedral space. Golden flickering candle flames reflected upon the white marble altar floor seemed to leap to the swirling ornamentations of sound. One caveat: in the midst of that contemplative quiet an usher walked up and down the aisle handing out a new batch of printed programs to those who arrived after the initial supply ran out - an act of kindness gone awry with the disruption of such meditative beauty.
Arguably, the highest point of the afternoon arrived with Keith Benjamin's rendition of the Prayer of St. Gregory for trumpet & string orchestra, Op. 62b, by Alan Hovhaness. Composed in 1946 as an interlude for the opera Etchmiadzin, the five minute piece has become one of Hovhaness' most popular short pieces. The opening chords in the organ seemed to pick up right where the Jesu Partita had concluded, joined soon by the pure gold beauty of Dr. Benjamin's singing trumpet tone. Benjamin's breadth of musical expression combined with the most beautiful trumpet tone I have ever heard in an acoustic perfectly tailored for a meditation on the prayer of St. Gregory the Illuminator (who brought Christianity to Etchmiadzin in Armenia), site of the oldest church in the world (301), accompanied on organ by a musical artist of Schaefer's depth - it just doesn't get more beautiful than that.
The music that followed the intermission was all first-rate. The Quintet showed its command of dynamic contrast, flawless intonation, technical prowess and exceptionally fine musicality in the set of Elizabethan Consort Music pieces arranged by Raymond Mase. Horn player Ellen Campbell partnered with John Schaefer on organ to play one of Bach's most beloved pieces, Jesu joy of man's desiring. That was followed by the Yorkshire Ballad by KU composer, James Barnes in a piece that featured trumpet and tuba together with organ. The glorious beauty of tone and superb musicality achieved by trumpeter Joe Parisi reached the heights of beauty set by Keith Benjamin, and was matched closely by the mellifluous tone of tuba player Tom Stein - no wonder this Quintet soars. The closing work for organ and quintet, Grand Choeur Dialogue by Eugene Gigout placed the exclamation point on the end of a superbly successful concert and brought the full house to its feet.
For an encore, Canon Schaefer invited the audience to sing a hymn with the ensemble, Oh God our help in Ages past, with special instructions to really sing out on the last verse loud enough to cover the instrumental forces. It was as robust a rendition of that hymn as I've ever heard, and sent concert-goers back out into the normalcy of the world, richer for the pleasure of having spent an afternoon among the heavenly sounds of beautiful music.
REVIEW:
Summer Music at the Cathedrals Series
Brass & Pipes: The Missouri Brass Quintet with organist John Schaefer
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Visit www.ghtc-kc.org/music/events.html or www.kcgolddome.org for more information
the STEADY,
Giggin' on theSTEADY
Starting later this month, "Giggin' on the Steady" will have a new look! We'll be debuting an interactive calendar category on the KC Events calendar that allows all you steady-gigging musicians out there to upload your own gig info and promote your shows.
Please feel free to utilize this new feature if you fall within our area of coverage: new classical, jazz and cabaret, alternative dance and performance art.
We will make an announcement on KCMetropolis.org when this feature is live and ready for loading.
Now, on to the gigs...
Trio ALL (Zack Albetta, Ben Leifer & Mark Lowrey)
Wednesday, September 2 at 7:00 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com or www.marklowreymusic.com
Barclay Martin Ensemble
Thursday, September 3 at 8:00 p.m.
Firefly Lounge
4118 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call (816) 931-3663 or online at www.fireflykc.com or www.barclaymartin.com
Lonnie McFadden, Donovan Bailey & Mark Lowrey
Friday, September 4 at 4:30 p.m.
The Phoenix Restaurant and Nightclub
302 W. 8th St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-221-JAZZ or online at http://thephoenixkansascity.com/ or www.marklowreymusic.com
Angela Hagenbach
Friday, September 4 at 6:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com or www.amazonrecords.com
Brandon Draper Quintet
Saturday, September 5 at 6:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com or www.myspace.com/brandondraper
McFadden Brothers w/Mark Lowrey
Saturday, September 5 at 8:00 p.m.
The Blue Room
1616 E. 18th St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-474-2929 or online at www.americanjazzmuseum.com or www.marklowreymusic.com
Shay Estes & Trio ALL
Saturday, September 5 at 10:30 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com or www.marklowreymusic.com
Mark Lowrey Solo Piano
Sunday, September 6 at 6:00 p.m.
Sullivan's Steakhouse & Saloon
4501 W 119th St., Leawood, KS
For information call 913-345-0800 or online at www.sullivansteakhouse.com or www.marklowreymusic.com
The People's Liberation Big Band
Sunday, September 6 at 8:00 p.m.
Record Bar
1020 Westport Rd., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-753-5207 or online at www.therecordbar.com or www.myspace.com/plbb
Mark Lowrey Solo Piano
Monday, September 7 at 6:00 p.m.
Sullivan's Steakhouse & Saloon
4501 W 119th St., Leawood, KS
For information call 913-345-0800 or online at www.sullivansteakhouse.com or www.marklowreymusic.com
Sons of Brasil
Thursday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com or www.stantonkessler.com
Mark Lowrey Solo Piano
Thursday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m.
The Phoenix Restaurant and Nightclub
302 W. 8th St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-221-JAZZ or online at http://thephoenixkansascity.com/ or www.marklowreymusic.com
Lonnie McFadden, Donovan Bailey & Mark Lowrey
Friday, September 11 at 4:30 p.m.
The Phoenix Restaurant and Nightclub
302 W. 8th St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-221-JAZZ or online at http://thephoenixkansascity.com/ or www.marklowreymusic.com
Mark Lowrey with Drums
Friday, September 11 at 10:30 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com or www.marklowreymusic.com
Shay Estes & Trio All (Crossroads Music Festival)
Saturday, September 10 at 9:00 p.m.
Czar Bar
1531 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-221-2244 or online at www.czarbar.com or www.marklowreymusic.com
Barclay Martin Ensemble (Crossroads Music Festival)
Saturday, September 10 at 10:00 p.m.
Czar Bar
1531 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-221-2244 or online at www.czarbar.com or www.barclaymartin.com
Mark Lowrey Solo Piano
Sunday, September 13 at 6:00 p.m.
Sullivan's Steakhouse & Saloon
4501 W 119th St., Leawood, KS
For information call 913-345-0800 or online at www.sullivansteakhouse.com or www.marklowreymusic.com
Mark Lowrey Solo Piano
Monday, September 14 at 6:00 p.m.
Sullivan's Steakhouse & Saloon
4501 W 119th St., Leawood, KS
For information call 913-345-0800 or online at www.sullivansteakhouse.com or www.marklowreymusic.com
Barclay Martin Ensemble
Tuesday, September 15 at 6:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com or www.barclaymartin.com
City Classics,
Music and Dance for September 2-16
Kansas City Symphony
Pops in the Park Concert
Saturday, September 5 at 7 p.m.
Shawnee Mission Park (Theatre in the Park)
I-435 and Renner Road, Shawnee, KS
Every year over the Labor Day weekend, our most venerable classical music institution, the Kansas City Symphony, performs a Pops in the Park concert at the Theatre in the Park at Shawnee Mission Park, I-435 and Renner Road in Shawnee, Kansas. It's always a time for the Symphony's assistant conductor to showcase his talents, and this year the talented and charismatic Steven Jarvi should put on a fine performance.
The concert will feature favorites from Broadway scores and film music as well as a few classical specials. So grab your lawn chairs, food and friends and head out to Shawnee Mission Park for this free introduction to the Symphony season. The gates open at 5:00 p.m. with the concert itself starting at 7:00 p.m.
Free event. For more information visit www.kcsymphony.org
newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble
Music and Minimalism
Thursday, September 3 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 12 at 8 p.m.
White Recital Hall, UMKC (September 3)
4949 Cherry, Performing Arts Center, Kansas City, MO
Bell Cultural Events Center (September 12)
MidAmerica Nazarene University, 2030 East College Way, Olathe, KS
newEar, which keeps Kansas City on the map in terms of contemporary orchestral music, is opening its 17th season early this year with a concert focusing on minimalist music as part of the Second International Conference on Minimalist Music at UMKC. The program will include works by such well known contemporary minimalist composers as Terry Riley, Phill Niblock, Vladimir Tosic and Barbara Benary.
For tickets call 816-235-6222. For information visit www.newear.org (no tickets available online)
Great Spaces Music and Art Series
Nigel Potts, Organist
Friday, September 4 at 8 p.m.
Grace Episcopal Cathedral
701 S.W. 8th Avenue, Topeka, Kansas
This concert features organist Nigel Potts, who is a native of New Zealand with degrees from Yale University as well as the Conservatorium of Music in Wellington, New Zealand and Trinity College of Music, London. He presently serves as organist and choirmaster of Christ & St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, New York City, and teaches at Dowling College in New York. His program will include the music of Purcell, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Elgar, Howells and others.
For tickets call (785) 235-3457, and for information visit www.GraceCathedralTopeka.org.
Wylliams-Henry Contemporary Dance Company
Fall 2009 Concert
Thursday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, September 11 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 12 at 8 p.m.
White Recital Hall at UMKC
4949 Cherry, Performing Arts Center, Kansas City, MO
For the ballet fans among us, the first classical dance performance of the new season will be by the Wylliams-Henry Contemporary Dance Company with a performances September 10 - 12. The choreographers are Canadian Josh Beamish, DeeAnna Hiett and Jose Limon. The Hiett piece, Shadows of Fate, is a world premiere, and the Beamish entry, Trap Door Party, is an American premiere. The Limon piece is a classic rendition of Orfeo.
Mary Pat Williams of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, for whom the company is co-named, always presents ingenious programs, and this should be a real treat for fans of dance.
For tickets call 816-235-6222.
Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Tosca
Friday, September 11 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, September 13 at 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 19 at 8:00 p.m.
Lyric Theatre
11th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
The Lyric Opera opens its season on September 11 with Puccini's melodramatic Tosca, a story of intrigue, seduction, torture and ritual murder which takes place against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. What more could you want from opera?! Puccini's masterpiece contains one of the greatest soprano arias ever written ("Vissi d'arte") and not one but two of the favorite arias from the tenor repertory. It also features one of the most dastardly operatic villains ever encountered, in the scheming Scarpia.
The Lyric Opera's artistic director, Ward Holmquist, has put together an outstanding cast. The title role will be sung by soprano Lisa Daltirus, who has performed this same role to great acclaim in New York, Boston, Seattle and other venues. The tenor role, that of Cavaradossi, is sung by newcomer Rafael Dávila, who has sung leading roles with the companies of Sarasota, Puerto Rico, Tampa and Austin, along with opera houses in Naples, Salzburg and the Czech Republic. The villainous Scarpia will be portrayed by baritone Greer Grimsley, who is famed for this role as the Metropolitan Opera and other companies. He also sings leading baritone roles with the opera companies of Seattle (where he just completed a Ring cycle), San Diego, Vancouver, Pittsburgh and others. Overseas he has appeared in Venice, Berlin, Copenhagen, Prague, Buenos Aires, among others.
Special note for Lyric Opera veterans: The Opera has eliminated its Monday night performances this season, so the schedule has changed from what you may be familiar with. The opening night of this production is Friday, not Saturday, so check your tickets to be sure you are certain of the night you are attending.
For tickets call 816-471-7344 or online at www.kcopera.org
City in Motion Dance Theatre
Dance in the Park
September 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Roanoke Park, just north of 39th and Roanoke Road
Kansas City, MO
City in Motion Dance Theatre, which always brings an eclectic mix of dance styles to the stage, will present a free public dance recital as part of the 11th annual Dance in the Park. The performance will feature local dance companies in the genres of modern, ballet, swing, hip-hop, Middle Eastern and flamenco.
This event is a collaboration of neighborhoods, businesses and local dance companies and is a family-friendly event. It is billed as "a unique opportunity to sample a wide variety of regional professional dance companies in the tranquil setting of Roanoke Park." Volunteers from five neighborhoods contribute their time and talents to produce the event. Picnic baskets are welcome, and you might think about arriving early to participate in the Hip Hop class at 6:30 p.m. and to get a good seat.
Free event. No tickets required.
Community of Christ Dome and Spires Series
New York Polyphony
Saturday, September 12 at 8 p.m.
Community of Christ Temple
201 South River Street, Independence, MO
New York Polyphony is a four-voice mail a capella vocal ensemble that delivers classical music favorites in a variety of styles. Publicity material for the group says that "from the simplicity of plainchant to the dense chromaticism of contemporary works, the New York Polyphony sound is strong, unified and distinctive." Critics have compared the group to the similar all-female ensemble, Anonymous 4.
No program for this concert has been released.
This concert is co-sponsored with Music Arts Institute, whose children's choir, The Young MAIstersingers, will participate in this performance.
Free event. No tickets required. For information, visit www.cofchrist.org/dome_spire/calendar.asp#polyphony
Harriman Jewell Series
Lang Lang, pianist
Tuesday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Folly Theater
12th and Central, Kansas City, MO
Lang Lang, the 27-year-old Chinese pianist who made his first international splash at the age of 17 with the Chicago Symphony, has become one of the most popular Generation X classical musicians of today. He is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and top American orchestras, and routinely sells out recitals and performances with symphony orchestras throughout the world. His compact discs are among classical music best sellers. He played for the Olympiad opening ceremony in Beijing in August 2008, and was seen on television around the world.
The Harriman Jewell Series brings him to Kansas City in a recital program, where he will play works by Beethoven (including the Appassionata sonata), Albéniz, and Prokofiev. The Folly Theater should be crowded for this one.
For tickets call (816) 415-5025 or online at http://www.harriman-jewell.org/
KCM News,
KCMetropolis.org goes interactive
KCMetropolis.org is based upon a combination of expert critical thought-and action-provoking commentary. We fill an essential need in the community for definitive performing arts coverage and act as a record, a historical marker for the robust achievements in this community. Derived from new technologies and driven from a grassroots movement, KCMetropolis.org invites you to participate in ongoing discussions with our contributors about the performing arts in the metropolis.
Our mission is to make all of the performing arts accessible in our community... and an important part of accessibility is participation.
With the launch of the new KCMetropolis in late April, we have continued to add and upgrade this website over the summer (including the launch of the interactive KC Events calendar that allows organizations and musicians to add and edit their own events), and now KCMetropolis.org invites you to sign up as a member and have a voice in the arts community.
Social medias like Facebook and Twitter are revolutionizing the way we think, feel and view the world. They offer an innovative opportunity to be heard and to participate at a deeper level with our fellow humans. We now invite you to do this on KCMetropolis.org.
Speak up - be heard. Post your comments, thoughts and views on the performing arts. Agree with our contributors - disagree (One cautionary comment however - profanity and malicious disrespect will not be tolerated and will get you banned quickly from this website.) Tell us and the community about your experience at a performance... what moved you, what didn't. Share and participate.
And talk about the performing arts. Tell your friends about performances and experiences. Let's revolutionize the way the performing arts are viewed in our city. Talk about classical music, dance, about jazz and new music. Let's break down all the old barriers that have kept people from attending events...all the old misconceptions of not wearing the right clothing or clapping at the wrong time. Good music, dance, art is after all "good" and we do understand and appreciate that at our deepest levels.
Go to LOGIN on KCMetropolis.org's front page - top right side - create a unique user name and password and start talking about the performing arts in the metropolis.
Enjoy!
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