UMKC’s weekly arts and culture roundup
Every week, the University of Missouri-Kansas City offers an array of on-campus activities. It’s nothing new. UMKC has a long legacy of hosting countless culturally enriching events. These activities are part of what has made UMKC an arts and culture powerhouse. The influence of UMKC-based and UMKC-trained artists extends well beyond the campus’ edge, so their activities are listed here as well.
Featured Event: Crescendo
Crescendo 2012 will place more than 250 students and faculty on stage in a seamless performance designed to be as brisk as it is eclectic. From jazz to classics, music and dance will fill Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center. Crescendo 2012’s performance reflects the dynamic and ever-changing rhythms and riffs that define the Conservatory.
“The Conservatory’s best and brightest will sing, dance, and play from every corner of Helzberg Hall. The concert will be a celebration of the arts in Kansas City. We can’t wait,” Peter Witte, dean of the Conservatory, said.
For Conservatory patrons, the evening will begin at 6 p.m., with cocktails prior to the performance. The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dinner in Brandmeyer Hall will immediately follow the concert. Patron tickets start at $250.
Guests who prefer to simply enjoy the concert may purchase concert-only tickets. Student tickets are $12.50 plus a $2 Kauffman customer service fee in advance, and $12.50 plus a $6 Kauffman Fee at the door. General audience tickets are $27.50, plus a $6 Kauffman fee in advance or at the door.
Tickets are available through the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
Crescendo is an annual celebration designed to support UMKC’s Conservatory, but this year’s event opens an exciting new chapter. Crescendo 2012’s Kauffman Center venue will place Conservatory students downtown, where artistic energy is already thriving.
“More than ever, Kansas City is talking about UMKC’s Conservatory. Crescendo 2012 is yet another big idea, an elegant yet action-packed performance that celebrates the Conservatory’s future,” said Lisa Hickok, chair of Crescendo 2012.
What:Crescendo
Where: Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts 1601 Broadway,
Kansas City, Mo.
When:Friday, November 2
Get more details.
Friday, October 26 – Thursday, November 1
What:UMKC Theatre presents “The Lady from the Sea,” a provocative and unconventional love story by Henrik Ibsen.
Where: James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, Helen F. Spencer Theatre
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When:Regular shows run October 24-28
Get more details.
What:Jasper String Quartet performance.Winner of the 2012 Cleveland Quartet Award, the Jasper String Quartet has been hailed as “sonically delightful and expressively compelling” by The Strad.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Friday, October 26, 7:30 p.m.
Get more details.
What:“Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson.” This is an edgy rock musical about our nation’s seventh president.
Where: Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Nov. 4
UMKC Connection: Co-production with UMKC Theatre. Many of the actors and designers are UMKC graduate students.
Get more details.
What:The Kansas City Repertory Theatre presents “The Mystery of Irma Vep (A Penny Dreadful).”The play has been cited as one of the best plays of 1984 by The New York Times and TIME magazine. The thriller/comedy has been called a gender-bending tour-de-force.
Where: Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Nov. 18.
Get more details.
What:A student recital with Marcio Landi as orchestral conductor.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Saturday, October 27, 5 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.
What:Musicology professor Andrew Granade and alumnus R. Andrew Lee present a duo piano recital of minimalist and postminimalist music.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Saturday, October 27, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.
What:Saxophonist Meghan Schumacker, UMKC alumna and Drake University faculty member, joins Tim Timmons and Patricia Higdon, piano, for a faculty/alumni recital.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Sunday, October 28, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.
What:A faculty recital with Jane Solose on piano.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Monday, October 29, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.
What:A doctoral recital with David Farwig as choral conductor.
Where: Old Mission United Methodist Church, 5519 State Park Road, Fairway, KS 66205
When: Tuesday, October 30, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.
What:Conservatory Wind Ensemble, directed by Joseph Parisi, with guest ensemble, the Fountain City Brass Band.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Wednesday, October 31, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.
What:Master class with Richard Tirk, trumpet professor at Luther College.
Where: Grant Recital Hall, 5227 Holmes Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Thursday, November 1, 4 – 6pm
It’s free. Get more details.
What:Musica Novawill bedirected by Zhou Long, with guest faculty artist Joseph Genualdi, violin, featuring several works by doctoral composition students.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Thursday, November 1, 7:30pm
Get more details.
What: Nick Yarsulik, Forgotten Pieces and Broken Memories. MA Thesis Show of digital artist Nick Yarsulik. Yarsulik’s current work explores the complexity of human relationships, the distortion and intangibility of memory, and the translation of these concepts into computer simulations and animations.
Where:The UMKC Gallery of Art, Room 203 of the Fine Arts Building, 5015 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through November 2.
It’s free. Get more details.
What:The Blue Gallery presents Bernal Koehrsen’s “Landscapes from the Spirit” and D. Ross’ “Everlasting.”
Where: The Blue Gallery, 118 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Exhibition runs through October 27.
UMKC Connection: Kelly Kuhn, co-owner of the Blue Gallery, is a UMKC graduate.
Get more details.
What:The New Theatre Restaurant’s “Social Security,” features Barbara Eden, best known for her role in “I Dream of Jeannie.”
Where: The New Theatre Restaurant, 9299 Foster, Overland Park, Ks.
When: Now through Nov. 4.
UMKC Connection: Co-owners Dennis Hennessy and Richard Carrothers are both UMKC graduates and both were presented this year with honorary doctorates by the UMKC College of Arts and Sciences.
Get more details.
What:The Coterie Theatre presents “The Presidents Tour,” which tours schools this fall. Students will learn about 44 presidents in 45 minutes.
Where: Call the Coterie Theatre to schedule a performance.
When: Performances began Oct. 4.
UMKC Connection: Two UMKC graduate theatre students founded the Coterie.
Get more details.
What:The Kansas City Symphony presents Beethoven’s “Eroica” plus Eighth Blackbird.
When: October 26-28
Where: Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts 1601 Broadway,
Kansas City, Mo.
UMKC Connection:The Kansas City Symphony was founded by faculty member Karl Krueger in 1933.Eighth Blackbird’s connection with the Symphony is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Symphony and the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance.
Get more details.