BravoKC: Kauffman Center Turns Five, Live!

10,000 attendees celebrated the FREE 5^th anniversary celebration, a thank you to all who helped make Kauffman Center a cultural cornerstone in Kansas City

The Kauffman Center’s BravoKC welcomed 10,000 visitors who celebrated the Kauffman Center’s fifth anniversary. The FREE event, BravoKC welcomed the community on First Friday, Sept. 2 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and featured FREE live performances from local performers on three stages, interactive activities on the south lawn, birthday cake and concluded with a fireworks display.

“BravoKC is a thank you to all of those who have helped make the Kauffman Center a success in the first five years of operation. The tremendous support from the community has made the Kauffman Center a bridge to Kansas City’s most dynamic downtown neighborhoods and a cultural cornerstone of Kansas City,” said President and CEO Paul J. Schofer. “We could not be more grateful to be a part of the Kansas City arts community and home for the performing arts. Commemorating the Kauffman Center’s fifth anniversary, BravoKC welcomed all visitors to celebrate performances, events and memories from the first five years. Kauffman Center is excited about the future of the arts in Kansas City and is committed to providing memorable performing arts experience to all for generations to come.”

Since opening, the Kauffman Center has welcomed more than 2 million audience members and guests through its doors. Its diverse programming continues to showcase Kansas City’s vibrant arts community and attracts acclaimed national talent from all genres. Resident companies the Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, along with numerous other community arts organizations, have experienced record attendance in their new performance home.

Along with artistic successes, Kauffman Center’s first five years have been marked by solid financials due, in no small part, to efficiencies created within the Center’s operating and staffing models and from financial and volunteer support within the Kansas City community. Effective management and strong annual fundraising support have allowed Kauffman Center to operate in the black for each of its first five years, which is considered an exceptional accomplishment in comparison with performing arts centers nationally.

Lampedusa: Concerts For Refugees

Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle,
Buddy Miller, and The Milk Carton Kids

Saturday, October 8th | 8:00 PM

Helzberg Hall

Enjoy an intimate evening of acoustic performances by renowned singer-songwriters Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Buddy Miller, and The Milk Carton Kids, all appearing together as part of a special 11-city tour.

The recipients of multiple awards, Harris, Earl, Miller, and The Milk Carton Kids are pillars of the Americana music scene. Individually, each has produced classic albums in folk, country, and pop. Through multiple collaborations, this close knit collective of friends have shaped and defined Americana music. But they rarely all appear together. These esteemed artists will share the stage for an evening of song-swapping, collaborative performances and story telling, performing songs from their extensive catalogues.

This special show has been organized by Emmylou Harris, widely regarded as the queen of Americana music.  The winner of twelve GRAMMY Awards, Harris’ candid songwriting and expressive singing share with the world her personal experiences that are heartbreaking and hopeful and intimately human.

And it was Harris’ humanistic outlook that led her to organize this concert. Harris is well known for her charitable work in her hometown of Nashville. But in recent years she has become increasingly concerned by the refugee crisis in Europe, the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. All proceeds from the concert will support the Jesuit Refugee Service’s Global Education Initiative, designed to provide educational opportunities for refugees living in camps and in urban settings. For more information watch this video here:

Joining Harris are Steve Earle, Buddy Miller, and The Milk Carton Kids, all widely regarded as Americana royalty. Miller is a legendary singer, songwriter and musician whose illustrious career has seen him collaborate and tour with many pre-eminent names in the Americana music world. And Earle is a multiple GRAMMY Award-winning singer songwriter best know for classic songs like ‘Guitar Town’, ‘The Galway Girl’ and ‘Copperhead Road’. An actor, writer, and outspoken figure, Earle accompanies his performances with engaging stories from his life.

Oh, and if this group of acclaimed artists is not enough, they will be joined by more special guests in what promises to be a once in a lifetime event for all fans of Americana music.

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Shawn Colvin & Steve Earle

Wednesday, August 3rd | 7:30 PM

Muriel Kauffman Theatre

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GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle will perform on Wednesday, August 3rd in Muriel Kauffman Theatre. Tickets range from $29 to $59.

Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle have united to record their self-titled debut Colvin & Earle a true standout album in careers already filled with pinnacles and masterpieces. The two esteemed artists will share the stage for a rousing night of song swapping, duets, storytelling and stellar guitar playing. The evening promises to be a rich and inspiring musical experience as these two long-time friends and mutual admirers share music from their extensive catalogues as well as some of their favorite songs by other classic songwriters. 

Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle both remember the night they met. It was nearly 30 years ago, and Colvin had been invited to open a solo acoustic performance by Earle at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA. Though their interactions that night were limited to some cursory dressing room pleasantries, each left more of an impression on the other than they may have realized at the time.

Cut to two years ago when Colvin called up Earle to propose doing some concerts together, sharing the stage and trading songs. The chemistry was so immediate that after the shows Earle proposed making a record together. They went in the studio with famed producer/songwriter Buddy Miller at the helm, and made Colvin & Earle, a batch of co-written originals (and a few choice covers) which comes out on June 10^th.

It would have been impossible to predict backstage at the Iron Horse all those years ago, but Colvin & Earle have gone from sharing a stage to sharing a band to sharing one of the finest records in either of their storied careers. That night in Northampton turned out to be the beginning of a very beautiful friendship indeed.

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Dave Koz And David Sanborn

Thursday, Aug. 4 | 7:30 PM

Muriel Kauffman Theatre

Acclaimed jazz saxophonists Dave Koz & David Sanborn will perform on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016 in Muriel Kauffman Theatre.

In the 25 years since the release of his self-titled solo debut album, saxophonist Dave Koz has received nine GRAMMY nominations, had nine No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, toured the world and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. David Sanborn is an artist whose music has inspired countless other musicians while creating a body of work that spans the genres of rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, pop and jazz. David has helped define the saxophone’s modern sound while influencing a generation and has released an astounding 24 albums, won six GRAMMY Awards and has had eight Gold albums and one Platinum album. Together, they share the stage for an evening of unforgettable jazz.

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