RSS 2.0 FeedSeptember 21, 2011, Featured Articles, Local Arts News
Kauffman Center Open House: A photo essay
Classical editor Topher Levin snapped some shots of Sunday's open house at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. With over 50,000 in attendance, the event drew 2.5 times more eager citizens then originally anticipated despite the rainy weather.
Traffic on Broadway Boulevard near the newly constructed I-670 bridge resembled a quintessential Friday rush-hour scene. The additional demand on the roadway even prompted police to direct traffic at the intersection of Broadway and South Truman Rd.
Despite a light rain early in the afternoon, there was still an hour-and-a-half wait just to get into the building, in a line stretching around the complex. Though some visitors threw in the towel at that point, many others stayed.
Later, as the rain stopped the wait grew to approximately two hours, three large lines stretched all around the complex and merged on the east side on Wyandotte Street. The mood of Sunday’s visitors seemed upbeat despite the weather and the wait.
Closer to the building, the crowds were entertained by more than a dozen performing acts on four outdoor stages. Once inside, many visitors took their time spending an hour on average exploring the new Performing Arts Center.
Moshe Safdie’s architectural design was as beautiful up-close today as it has been from afar for the last several months.
Many visitors snapped impromptu pictures of the complex with their cameraphones. Others documented the day with higher-quality cameras, while a few photographers set up their professional kits on tripods.
VIPs and performers for the open house’s six stages entered Brandmeyer Great Hall through a beautiful glass atrium on the north side connecting the Kauffman Center’s two steel and concrete shells.
Be sure to check out KCMetropolis' other reports on the Kauffman Center’s open house for more details on the days events.
Classical Editor and Contributor
Christopher (Topher) Levin is a composer, pianist, music theorist, and music blogger based in Kansas City, MO. His compositions have been performed at music festivals across the US and in Europe. He has spent two summers in Paris, France studying music at the Ecole Normale de Musique through the EAMA program. His trio for clarinet, piano, and percussion is published in the SCI Journal of Scores.
Topher holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M.) in music theory and (M.M.) in composition and from James Madison University in Virginia (B.M.) in composition. Primary composition teachers have included John S. Hilliard, Paul Rudy, Zhou Long, James Mobberley, Chen Yi, Claude Baker, Narcis Bonet, Michel Merlet, and João Pedro Oliveira. His piano teachers have included Patricia Brady and Karen Kushner. Topher maintains a piano studio of 22 students.
Having recently completed a Master's thesis on the beautiful complexities of Chinary Ung's trio, Spiral I, Topher turned his writing attention to the more informal blogging medium. He has taken to it quite well, sharing posts on strange and wonderful music and art found across the web with a modest but growing number of blog followers. He looks forward to writing for KCM and sharing with its readers the stories of all the amazing musicians performing in Kansas City.
More Featured Articles
KC Events this week and beyond
Looking for something to do this weekend? Click here for the KC Events calendar of theatre, classical music, dance and jazz events through 2011. Highlights of this week's classical music and dance offerings are in Don Dagenais' "City Classics." For current Theatre listings visit Victor Wishna's "City Stage." Enjoy!
INTERVIEW: Garnett Bruce, director
Director Garnett Bruce, whose rich body of work includes opera companies across the country and around the world from the San Francisco Opera to the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, is staging the Lyric Opera’s season-opening production of “Turandot”—the first opera to be performed at the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. On the eve of this grand inauguration, he joined Editor-in-Chief Lee Hartman for a conversation.
INTERVIEW: Elizabeth Caballero, soprano
Cuban-American lyric soprano, Elizabeth Caballero is reprising the role of Liù in her Kansas City debut at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s production of "Turandot." She spoke with KCM’s Lee Hartman about the character and how she prepares for a role as well as her heritage and professional crush on Sam Ramey.
Long lines and Julia Irene Kauffman greet KCPA guests
KCMetropolis contributor Don Dagenais braved the weather and long lines to attend the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts public open house on Sunday afternoon. Once inside, he managed to catch five local acts in Helzberg Hall.
INTERVIEW: Caroline Goulding, violin
Nineteen-year-old violinist Caroline Goulding will visit Kansas City for the first time on September 24th, as part of the Harriman-Jewell Discovery Concert Series. The recent Avery Fisher Career Grant winner talks about her program with collaborative pianist Dina Vainshtein, what it means to play a recital, and what’s in store for the year ahead.
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