Kansas City Symphony | Concert Listings

Concert Listings

Below is a complete list of our upcoming events

Joshua Bell, Plus Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra

March 7-9, 2014
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

What do you get when you cross an insurance salesman with a church organist? One of America’s most remarkable composers. Charles Ives’ Third Symphony is based on hymns he learned while working as an organist in New York City before his highly successful career in business. Joshua Bell, a Kansas City favorite known for connecting with his audiences, returns to the Helzberg Hall stage to tackle Lalo’s challenging and fresh Symphonie espagnole. Our own Kansas City Symphony musicians are spotlighted on the second half. Enjoy Bartók’s last completed orchestral work and one of the twentieth century’s most popular scores. The energetic, driving fugue at the end will bring this concert to a climactic finish. Bravo & Masterworks Series

Inside Music Series: Trumpet Master Class with Thomas Hooten

Friday, March 14 at 10 a.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Thomas Hooten, principal trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will lead a master class on Friday, March 14 in Helzberg Hall. Students interested in performing for Mr. Hooten should submit a Nomination Form no later than Friday, February 21. Students selected to perform will be notified no later than February 28. The Kansas City Symphony presents the Los Angeles Philharmonic in concert on Friday, March 14 at 8 p.m. Visit kcsymphony.org for tickets. The Kansas City Symphony’s Inside Music Series features a variety of artists presenting master classes, lectures and informal conversations. These unique events provide an inside look at the interaction between teacher and student. This event is general admission and reservations are required. Parking in the Arts District Garage is $7 at the gate.

Fri 3/14/14 10:00AM	More Info	RSVP

Kansas City Symphony Presents Los Angeles Philharmonic

March 14, 2014

Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Gustavo Dudamel, Music Director
Yuja Wang, Piano

For the first time ever, the Kansas City Symphony presents the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The L.A. Phil’s dynamic music director, Gustavo Dudamel, will lead a program featuring Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, a new work by Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason that was commissioned by the L.A. Phil, and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, played brilliantly by special guest Yuja Wang. Tickets will go on sale to general public on Monday, December 16 at 10am.

Fri 3/14/14 8:00PM	More Info	Purchase

UMKC COMPOSER'S READING

Monday, March 17 at 10 a.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Join associate conductor Aram Demirjian as he conducts UMKC Composition Students' pieces with the Kansas City Symphony in Helzberg Hall on Monday, March 17 at 10:00 a.m. Composition students rarely get the chance for their work to be played by professional musicians, much less in a professional hall like Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. This is a wonderful opportunity for both the students as well as the Kansas City Symphony to play new works. This event is general admission, and reservations are required. Parking in the Arts District Garage is $7 at the gate.

Mon 3/17/14 10:00AM	More Info	RSVP

Symphony Organ Concert Series: Peter Richard Conte

Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Peter Richard Conte is the Grand Court Organist of the Wanamaker Organ in Macy’s Philadelphia store, where he performs twelve times each week on the largest fully-functional musical instrument in the world. Conte’s Bach-centric program features Bach’s Prelude in C Minor, “O Lamm Gottes unschuldig” from The Great Eighteen Chorales and “Pastorale” from Bach’s Memento. The program also includes Fritz Kreisler’s Variations on a Theme of Arcangelo Corelli, Mozart’s Andante in F Major, and selections by Vierne and Ernst. Tickets start at just $15.

Thu 3/20/14 7:00PM	.	Purchase

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, with Rodrigo’s Royal Guitar

March 28-30, 2014
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Prize-winning young phenom guitarist Jiyeon Kim, from the Curtis Institute, joins the orchestra to perform the most popular work by Rodrigo, one of Spain’s most influential composers. It is described as capturing “the fragrance of magnolias, the singing of birds, and the gushing of fountains” in the gardens of Aranjuez. A film score Suite opens this program by early twentieth-century Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas. The timeless and tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet will turn the second half into a musical drama for the concert stage. Trace the crucial events of this famous love story in Prokofiev’s wrenching score with its chilling and heartbreaking conclusion. Ovation & Masterworks Series

Fri 3/28/14 8:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase
Sat 3/29/14 8:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase
Sun 3/30/14 2:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase

Inside Music Series: Guitar Master Class with Jiyeon Kim

Saturday, March 29 at 11 a.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Prize-winning young guitarist Jiyeon Kim will host a guitar master class on Saturday, March 29 at 11 a.m. in Helzberg Hall. The Kansas City Symphony’s Inside Music Series features a variety of artists presenting master classes, lectures and informal conversations. These unique events provide an inside look at the interaction between teacher and student.

This event is general admission, and reservations are required. Parking in the Arts District Garage is $7 at the gate.

Sat 3/29/14 11:00AM	More Info	RSVP

André Watts Plays Beethoven

April 11-13, 2014
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

More than 45 years after Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic, André Watts remains one of today’s most celebrated and beloved superstars. The Kansas City Symphony is excited to welcome him to the Helzberg Hall stage and join him as he performs the last piano concerto Beethoven himself was able to play. More music from the opera world opens this concert with the overture to Haydn’s comic opera, L’incontro improviso. It was Beethoven’s mastery that inspired Franck to write his only symphony, which is full of rich orchestral textures and brass highpoints. The joyous, upbeat conclusion of this work is a perfect way to end this early spring program. Bravo & Masterworks Series

Fri 4/11/14 8:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase
Sat 4/12/14 8:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase
Sun 4/13/14 2:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase

Inside Music Series: Piano Master Class with André Watts

Saturday, April 12 at 11 a.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Pianist André Watts, one of today’s most celebrated and beloved superstars, will host a piano master class on Saturday, April 12 at 11 a.m. in Helzberg Hall. The Kansas City Symphony’s Inside Music Series features a variety of artists presenting master classes, lectures and informal conversations. These unique events provide an inside look at the interaction between teacher and student.

This event is general admission, and reservations are required.

Sat 4/12/14 11:00AM	More Info	RSVP

Classics Uncorked: April in Paris

Thursday, April 17 at 7 p.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

As spring begins in the Paris of the Plains, we present a program that captures the spirit and sound of a warm evening in Paris, France. The program will include Debussy’s Clair de lune, Offenbach’s Overture from La Vie Parisienne, and Bizet’s Suite No. 1 from L’Arlésienne – and a night of joie-de-vivre would not be complete without Gershwin’s An American in Paris. Join us on this musical stroll down the Champs-élysées! Sponsored by BMO Private Bank with media support from Ink Magazine.

Tickets are only $25 each and include a glass of wine or champagne following the concert, when you can mingle with the Symphony musicians in the Kauffman Center’s magnificent Brandmeyer Great Hall.

Thu 4/17/14 7:00PM	More Info	Purchase

Oh, What A Night! Billboard Hits of the 1960s

April 18-19, 2014
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

You’ll be dancing in your seat with this energetic dose of Billboard® hits from the late 50’s and 60’s, starring three of Broadway’s hottest leading men. It’s an evening of sweet surrender with toe-tapping tunes from the Jersey Boys era, including music by The Four Seasons, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, The Beach Boys, Bobby Darin, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, and the “Queen of Soul”, Aretha Franklin.

Fri 4/18/14 8:00PM	Pops Season Package Info	Purchase
Sat 4/19/14 8:00PM	Pops Season Package Info	Purchase

Free Happy Hour Concert: From Mozart to Martinu

Tuesday, April 22 at 6 p.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

A great night out begins here! Enjoy Mozart’s Grande Sestetto Concertante, Martinu’s La revue de cuisine and Dohnanyi’s Serenade in C Major. The Kauffman Center’s lobby bars open at 5 p.m., with the one-hour casual concert in Helzberg Hall beginning at 6 p.m. Reserve your free tickets in advance by visiting kcsymphony.org. Media support courtesy of Ink Magazine.

This event is free and reservations are required

Tue 4/22/14 6:00PM	More Info	Sold Out!

Wind Serenades by Mozart and Dvorak

Wednesday, April 30 at 6 p.m.

HELZBERG HALL | KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

MOZART Wind Serenade in C Minor
DVORAK Wind Serenade in D Minor

A great way to begin your date night! Join us in the beautiful Kauffman Center lobby for a drink after work, followed by a delightful, one-hour casual concert featuring Mozart’s Wind Serenade in C minor and the Dvorak Wind Serenade in D minor. Musicians from the Kansas City Symphony are joined by musicians from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance for a very special evening of delightful music. Bars open at 5 p.m., and the concert begins at 6 p.m. Media support courtesy of Ink Magazine.

This event is free and reservations are required.

Wed 4/30/14 6:00PM	More Info	RSVP

Symphony Organ Concert Series: Nathan Laube

Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

A star among young classical musicians, concert organist Nathan Laube has quickly earned a place among the organ world’s elite performers. His brilliant playing and gracious demeanor have thrilled audiences and presenters across the United States and in Europe, and his creative programming of repertoire spanning five centuries, including his own virtuoso transcriptions of orchestral works, have earned high praise from critics and peers alike.

Thu 5/1/14 7:00PM	More Info	Purchase

Kansas City Symphony Chorus in Concert

Sunday, May 4 at 3pm

Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Charles Bruffy, chorus director

Please note:
The Kansas City Symphony will not appear on this performance.
This concert will be performed without intermission.

A collection of well known songs from Masses and Oratorios by Mendelssohn, Bach, Mozart and Brahms, Britten's meaningful Festival Te Deum, Spirituals and Americana. Accompanied by Jan Kraybill, conservator of the Julia Irene Kauffman Casasvant Organ.

Sun 5/4/14 3:00PM	More Info	Purchase

Classics Uncorked: Women of Note(s)

Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

In our final Classics Uncorked concert of the year, we celebrate the great women of classical music, featuring female composers past and present, as well as female characters and historical figures who have inspired great music. Included are composers Cécile Chaminade and UMKC Professor of Composition Chen Yi, as well as Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3, Barber’s Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance and Verdi’s Overture from Joan of Arc. Join us for what will be a truly memorable evening. Sponsored by BMO Private Bank with media support from Ink Magazine.

Tickets are only $25 each and include a glass of wine or champagne following the concert, when you can mingle with the Symphony musicians in the Kauffman Center’s magnificent Brandmeyer Great Hall.

Thu 5/15/14 7:00PM	More Info	Purchase

Stern Conducts Verdi’s Requiem

May 30 - June 1, 2014
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Let yourself be captivated by a masterpiece – the passion and drama fit for an opera house in the sonically spectacular Helzberg Hall. Verdi’s amazing Requiem, one of the greatest choral works of all time, has been described as “an opera for the stage.” From the terrifying pounding of the bass drum, to the trumpets’ call to judgment and the moving melodies and contrasts, you will leave Helzberg Hall as exhilarated as each of the performers on stage. Throughout the performance, immerse yourself in this gorgeous music and explore feelings of loss and sorrow, as well as the human desire for forgiveness and mercy. Bravo & Masterworks Series

Fri 5/30/14 8:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase
Sat 5/31/14 8:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase
Sun 6/1/14 2:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Sold Out!

Inside Music Series: Chamber Music Master Class with Music Director Michael Stern

Saturday, May 31 at 11 a.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Music Director Michael Stern will host a chamber music master class with local chamber music students on Saturday, May 31 at 11 a.m. in Helzberg Hall. The Kansas City Symphony’s Inside Music Series features a variety of artists presenting master classes, lectures and informal conversations. These unique events provide an inside look at the interaction between teacher and student.

This event is general admission, and reservations are required.

Sat 5/31/14 11:00AM	More Info	RSVP

Season Finale: Shostakovich, Plus Yuja Wang Plays Rachmaninoff

June 6-8, 2014
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

A sensation in her previous Symphony performances, dynamic young pianist Yuja Wang thrills audiences with playing that leaps from the stage. Shostakovich felt the chilling effect of the new Soviet conservatism and his Fifth Symphony left many wondering if this was his creative response to official criticism or his cunning way of expressing his secret resistance. Help us bring the season to a spectacular conclusion as the Symphony displays their talent in this popular, exciting work exploring the dynamic ranges from the delicate solo passages of the early movements to the fist-pounding conclusion. Ovation & Masterworks Series

Fri 6/6/14 8:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase
Sat 6/7/14 8:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase
Sun 6/8/14 2:00PM	Classical Season Package Info	Purchase

Ben Folds with the Kansas City Symphony

Tuesday, June 10 & Wednesday, June 11 at 8 p.m.
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

As a solo artist and as frontman for Ben Folds Five, singer-songwriter-pianist-raconteur Ben Folds has earned a reputation as a singular and influential voice in the world of popular music. One of pop and rock’s great piano-playing showmen, Ben’s sound and sensibility — an eclectic mix of rock power, jazz chops, and wryly observational songwriting — evokes the essence of classic pop while adding an idiosyncratic infusion of energy and wit. Ben’s appearances with orchestras sell out quickly, so be sure to secure your tickets now.

Tue 6/10/14 8:00PM	More Info	Purchase
Wed 6/11/14 8:00PM	More Info	Purchase

Recording Preview Concert: The Music of Adam Schoenberg

THURSDAY, JUNE 19 AT 7 P.M.
HELZBERG HALL | KAUFFMAN CENTER

Our audiences asked for it and now we are recording three of Adam Schoenberg’s dynamic contemporary works for our next CD release. This exciting recording-session preview concert includes Adam Schoenberg’s colorful Finding Rothko, inspired by the works of painter Mark Rothko; Picture Studies, an expressive interpretation of masterpieces at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; and his hopeful American Symphony, commissioned and premiered by the Kansas City Symphony in 2011. Music Director Michael Stern led the commissioning of all three pieces and he has worked closely with Schoenberg to bring these vibrant compositions to life.

Thu 6/19/14 7:00PM	More Info	Purchase

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