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The historic Folly Theater will play host to a truly remarkable calendar of chamber performances this fall. The Friends of Chamber Music International Chamber Music Series will bring the Tokyo String Quartet to the Folly on October 10^th, performing works by Haydn, Hindemith, and Schumann. Tenor Rufus Müller joins REBEL on November 18^th at Grace and Holy Trinity.

The Harriman-Jewell Series will present several concerts at the Folly this fall as well, including violinist Midori in recital on October 27^th; the much-acclaimed Japanese prodigy will return for her fourth appearance in the Series, playing works by Shostakovich, Schumann, and Schubert. Flutists extraordinaire Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway will also visit the Folly Theater on November 3^rd for his seventh, her second repeat engagement with the Series. The Harriman-Jewell Series will present free Discovery Concerts this fall with Caroline Goulding, violin, (September 24^th) and Alek Shrader, tenor (November 19^th).

Kansas City’s own Bach Aria Soloists add their unique blend of Baroque and contemporary performance to this season’s chamber offerings, beginning with their annual Lerner Hauskonzert on October 16^th, featuring guest soprano Sarah Tannehill Anderson singing Bach and Mozart. November 19^th will see the Soloists and guest actor Stuart Rider at the Kansas City Public Library, Central Branch, performing Musical Tales featuring Ferdinand the Bull, bringing a classic children’s story to life with the music of English composer Alan Ridout. 

Johnson County Community College’s Performing Arts Series will present the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet on October 22^nd, playing a program of works by Boccherini, De Falla, and Stravinsky, a set of jazz standards by Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and selections from their 2007 album. JCCC’s Ruel Joyce Series offers free programs of solo, small ensemble, and jazz performances by Kansas City local performers. Local trios Allégresse and the Lyric Arts Trio will perform on September 26^th and October 10^th, respectively.

KU’s School of Music will host the Kavafian-Schub-Shifrin Trio on September 26^th in Swarthout Recital Hall. UMKC Conservatory will present California State University faculty Julia Heinen, clarinet, and Dmitry Rachmanov, piano, in recital on October 28^th in White Recital Hall.

The Lied Center of Kansas will host La Catrina Quartet’s Latin American flair for traditional chamber music on October 18^th.

Top Photo: Tokyo String Quartet in performance (Photo by Pete Checchia)

By Karen Hauge

Classical Contributor, Senior Editor

A native of New Jersey, Karen Hauge relocated to Kansas City in 2010 to attend UMKC in pursuit of her M.M. in flute performance. Since moving to Kansas City, Karen has been active as a performer within the Conservatory and as a music educator in the community, working with the Conservatory’s Community Academy of Music and Dance.

Karen earned a B.M. from the University of Delaware, where she studied music education with Suzanne Burton and Robert Streckfuss. During her time at Delaware, Karen was awarded several grants to fund an independent research project over the course of two years. The project and subsequent thesis, entitled “What Does It Mean To Be Musical?,” explored the ways in which people naturally interact with music in their everyday lives, and earned her a degree with distinction upon graduation. Karen has been active as a solo and chamber performer in Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. She has performed for world-renowned flute pedagogues such as Jeanne Baxtresser and Jeffrey Khaner, and has received honors for outstanding performance through her career at both the university and professional level. Her primary flute teachers have been Mardee Reed-Ulmer, Eileen Grycky, and Mary Posses.