Laurie Anderson to Take the Stage at the Kauffman Center
Tickets Go On Sale Aug. 30, 2011 to See One of America’s Most Renowned – And Daring – Creative Pioneers
Laurie Anderson will perform in Helzberg Hall on Oct. 9 as the first presentation of the Kauffman Center’s Vanguard Series, for artists who have pushed boundaries and redefined their art forms.
Laurie Anderson will present “Transitory Life: A Retrospective of Song and Stories” – a collection that includes pieces from her acclaimed solo shows “The Speed of Darkness”, “Happiness”, “The End of the Moon” and “Homeland”.
“A genuine revolutionary, Laurie Anderson has spent her career redefining art and performance through not just music, but also visual art, poetry, and film,” said Jane Chu, President & CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. “We are thrilled that Laurie will inaugurate the Vanguard Series at the Kauffman Center, and we look forward to welcoming her as the first of many Kauffman Center performers who are truly ahead of their time.”
Known primarily for her multimedia presentations, Laurie Anderson has cast herself in roles as varied as visual artist, composer, poet, photographer, filmmaker, electronics whiz, vocalist, and instrumentalist. As a visual artist, her work has been shown at the Guggenheim Museum in SoHo, New York, as well as extensively in Europe, including the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. She has also released seven albums, including “Big Science”, featuring the song “O Superman”, which rose to number two on the British pop charts.
Anderson will be followed in the Vanguard Series by legendary composer Philip Glass, appearing at the Kauffman Center in April 2012.
The first of the series, Laurie Anderson performing in Helzberg Hall will be an experience like no other. Tickets can be purchased at kauffmancenter.org or by calling (816) 994-7222.
Contribution of Kansas-City Area Performers and Production Companies Makes Opening Weekend Celebration a True Artistic Union of Local and International Talent
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts announced the addition of more Kansas City-area artists to the Grand Opening weekend lineup, including its three resident companies, as well as more than 40 diverse local performance groups.
The additions make the Grand Opening weekend an unprecedented collaboration of local and international artistic talent, and build on a Kauffman Center priority to promote and celebrate Kansas City’s vibrant and diverse arts community.
“Kansas City has a long, rich tradition of performing arts, and it’s very important that the Kauffman Center reflects and augments Kansas City’s already vibrant arts community,” said Jane Chu, President and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. “Thanks to the participation of our resident companies and so many outstanding local performers, our Grand Opening performances will be an important step in making the Kauffman Center a true Kansas City icon.”
The Kauffman Center engaged internationally recognized Baruch/Gayton Entertainment Group as Executive Producers to create and produce the Grand Opening celebration, specifically because they integrate local talent, history, and culture into each of their events. As part of that mission, Wayne Baruch and Charles Gayton worked with Kansas City’s best creators and performers to plan and produce the events.
On Friday, September 16, the Grand Opening of the Muriel Kauffman Theatre will feature The Kansas City Ballet in a preview of the brand new three-act ballet of ‘Tom Sawyer’, of which they will give the world premier performance in October. That same evening, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City will preview the finale of its spectacular new production of Puccini’s gripping opera ‘Turandot’. And when world-renowned opera singer Placido Domingo inaugurates the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, he will be joined by Kansas City’s own Lyric Opera Chorus and Kansas City Symphony, conducted by Michael Stern.
The evening will also feature a series of “Showstoppers” hosted by multiple Tony Award-winning performer, director and choreographer Tommy Tune, as well as a special guest performance by star of stage and screen Patti LuPone. The Conservatory of Music and Dance at UMKC will deliver one of the greatest Broadway Showstoppers of all time: the “Tonight” quintet from West Side Story. The Kansas City Symphony will accompany the entire performance at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
To cap off the Friday evening event, Baruch and Gayton collaborated with Quixotic Fusion to create a post-concert outdoor multi-media extravaganza combining large-scale projections and live performers. They also reached out to Kansas City’s T2+BackAlley Films to create unique post-concert indoor visual projections for both Friday and Saturday evenings.
The Kansas City Symphony returns in full force for the Grand Opening of Helzberg Hall, on Saturday, September 17, to accompany world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman and Grammy Award-winning pianist/singer Diana Krall. In addition, the 156-voice Kansas City Symphony Chorus will perform both a capella and with the orchestra for the opening of Helzberg Hall. And, in a stunning tribute to Kansas City’s Jazz History, the symphony will be joined UMKC’s very own Bobby Watson, who Baruch and Gayton commissioned to arrange an original work that will be performed by a 17-piece American Jazz Museum jazz orchestra comprised of a diverse group of Kansas City musicians.
The Grand Opening weekend culminates with a free community open house, Sunday, September 18, with more than 40 of Kansas City’s finest performing arts groups, composed of approximately 600 individual artists. Doors open at 11 a.m. and performances will run from noon until 5 p.m. on four outdoor stages, as well as in the Muriel Kauffman Theatre and Helzberg Hall.
Combining their international expertise with local know-how, Baruch and Gayton created an extensive Kansas City-based production team to support the work of the entire Grand Opening weekend. They turned to two lead production organizations to manage the two opening night pre and post-concert celebrations and free Sunday open house: O’Neill Event Management, headed by Keli Wenzel, whose considerable experience ranges from elegant gala events to major public occasions, including their annual Irishfest; and The Wellington Group, headed by Joan Wells, which has a wide range of top rank corporate and special event clients in Kansas City and throughout the United States.
In addition to O’Neill and Wellington, Baruch and Gayton also pulled together visual, creative and culinary artists such as T2+BackAlley Films, Harvest Productions, PB&J Restaurants, Aramark, Lon Lane Inspired Occasions, and Matney Florals.
Reflecting on the experience, Wayne Baruch and Chuck Gayton said, “As executive producers of the overall Grand Opening, we will be working with the best of the best in Kansas City. Today, on the doorstep of the Grand Opening, artistic Kansas City has done itself proud. The opening celebration will truly be an artistic union of local and international talent.”
Kansas City event planning and production collaborators include:
• O’Neill Marketing & Event Management
• The Wellington Group
• Conservatory of Music and Dance at UMKC
• Kansas City Art Institute
• Kansas City arts entrepreneur Gary Maltbia
• Recording artist and educator Kevin Mahogany
• American Jazz Museum
• Quixotic Fusion
• T2+BackAlley Films
• Harvest Productions
• Chuck Matney (Matney Florals)
• Townsend Communications
• Hallmark
• Aramark
• PB&J Restaurants
• Lon Lane Inspired Occasions
• All Seasons
• Kansas City Convention Center/Bartle Hall Ballroom
• Kansas City Downtown Council
For more information on Kauffman Center’s FREE public Open House, click here.
Community Welcome to Open House
Everyone’s Welcome
What began as a sketch on a napkin has become an architectural icon and home for the performing arts in Kansas City. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has changed Kansas City’s skyline, and will soon change the experiences of artists and audiences throughout the region.
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will be bustling with a free community open house, Sunday, September 18. More than 40 of Kansas City’s finest performing arts groups, composed of approximately 450 individual artists will perform.
When: Sunday, September 18, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Where: Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Helzberg Hall, and four outdoor stages* around the Kauffman Center
Registration: Open House is a free public event and registration is optional. However, online registrants will automatically qualify for a drawing to win two tickets to the Theater League’s production of Million Dollar Quartet at the Kauffman Center.
Backpacks and other large bags will be searched. Safety is our number one priority for this fun-filled weekend, and we thank you for your cooperation.
Performances
| Muriel Kauffman Theatre
12:05 PM – Kansas City Ballet School |
Helzberg Hall 12:00 PM – Kansas City Youth Symphony |
*Please note, Open House will be held rain or shine. Outdoor Stage programming is subject to change.
|
Outdoor Stage 1*: Front West 12:00 PM – Rob Foster |
Outdoor Stage 2*: Front East 12:20 PM – Wild Women |
|
Stage 3*: East Courtyard 12:00 PM – Cimino |
Outdoor Stage 4*: Wyandotte 12:20 PM – Trampled Under Foot |
For a printable list of performances, please click here (PDF).
Experience Downtown!
Built around the Kauffman Center’s core mission of bringing the arts to the community and the community to the arts, Open House is one of the cornerstones of the opening weekend festivities. To celebrate this milestone event, the downtown Kansas City arts community will celebrate alongside the Kauffman Center.
Kauffman Center guests are invited to get a taste of Downtown Kansas City either before or after their opening day visit to the center. All events run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- A daytime First Friday arts experience in the Crossroads
- Live jazz and entertainment in and around the Power & Light District (*)
- Urban food truck dining experience adjacent to the Kauffman Center
- The region’s largest farmers market in nearby City Market (8 a.m.-3 p.m.)
- The annual Black Expo at Bartle Hall (noon-9 p.m.)
- The Art of the Chopper exhibition at Union Station
- Special dining and shopping opportunities throughout Downtown, including the Crossroads, Power & Light District, Union Station and Westside (*)
- Free shuttle service to the Kauffman Center from convenient parking in and around the Crossroads and the Power & Light District
(*) indicates evening hours, too
Thank You To Our Partners
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and executive producers Baruch/Gayton Entertainment Group wish to thank all of our Kansas City Event Planning, Production and Artistic partners who are helping to make Grand Opening Weekend an extraordinary celebration for our community.
- O’Neill Marketing & Event Management
- The Wellington Group
- Harvest Productions
- Chuck Matney/Matney Floral Design
- Dover Strategy Group
- Kansas City Convention Center
- Townsend Communications
- Hallmark
- Aramark
- PB&J Restaurants
- Lon Lane Inspired Occasions
- All Seasons Event Rental
- Downtown Council of Kansas City
- Evenergy Events & Sponsorships
And…
- Kansas City Ballet
- Lyric Opera of Kansas City
- Kansas City Symphony and Chorus
- UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
- Quixotic Fusion
- T2+BackAlley Films
- American Jazz Museum
- Kansas City Art Institute
Plus…
- The many excellent performers and organizations appearing at the Kauffman Center Open House on Sunday, Sept. 18.
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts’ 2011-2012 season features a diverse array of classical, jazz, and pop music, opera, ballet and contemporary dance, Broadway, comedy, lectures, and more.
The inaugural season features legendary performing artists, including Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples, Philip Glass, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, among others. The Kauffman Center’s three resident companies—the Kansas City Ballet, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City—will also present seasons filled with world premieres, acclaimed guest artists, and a new production.
“The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will play a dynamic role in our community, not only by inviting the greatest artists from around the world to perform in our spectacular new halls, but also by providing opportunities for local, regional, and student performing arts organizations to perform at the Center,” said Jane Chu, CEO of the Kauffman Center. “In our first season, there is something for everyone at the Kauffman Center, and audiences will be able to experience the performing arts in Kansas City in an entirely new way.”
Five world premiere performances will take place at the Kauffman Center in its first year, with the debut of three new works performed by the Kansas City Symphony, including one written by Chen Yi, a professor at the University of Missouri Kansas City; the Kansas City Ballet’s performance of Tom Sawyer, composed by Maury Yeston and choreographed by the Ballet’s artistic director William Whitener; and a unique multi-media concert experience based on the life of Charles Darwin developed by The Friends of Chamber Music. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which has made Kansas City its second home outside of New York, will perform at the Kauffman Center in its first tour under artistic director Robert Battle. Other highlights of the inaugural season include nine performances in the Harriman-Jewell Series, Kansas City’s venerable performing arts presenter, including the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Parsons Dance, and two performances from The Friends of Chamber Music’s ten-day Bach Festival, featuring pianist Konstantin Lifschitz.
The Kauffman Center’s inaugural season also features performances by local performing arts organizations, including the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and the Heartland Men’s Chorus, and student performances by the Youth Symphony of Kansas City and the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.
In addition to providing performance venues for many of Kansas City’s performing arts organizations, the Kauffman Center has created four new series that will appeal to a wide variety of audiences: the American Legends Series, showcasing artists who are masters of their genres and have been instrumental in defining American culture; the Destinations Series, a series to introduce audiences to high quality experiences offered by performing artists and groups from around the world; the Vanguard Series, presenting artists who have pushed the boundaries and redefined their art forms and a National Geographic Speaker Series, featuring dynamic National Geographic explorers, scientists, photographers, and filmmakers. Tickets for Laurie Anderson, as well as single tickets for all community organization performances at the Kauffman Center, will go on sale beginning August 30 and can be purchased through the Center’s box office at 816-994-7222 or online at www.kauffmancenter.org.
Following is the 2011-2012 inaugural season at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts:
American Legends Series
Presented by the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Lily Tomlin, November 20
Mavis Staples, December 8
Aretha Franklin, May 8
Destinations Series
Presented by the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, January 24
Burn the Floor, May 18 – 20
The Chieftains, March 7
Vanguard Series
Presented by the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Laurie Anderson, October 9
Philip Glass, April 3
National Geographic Speaker Series
Presented by the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Annie Griffiths Belt, February 28
Kenny Broad, March 20
Mattias Klum, April 23
Mireya Mayor, May 21
Kansas City Ballet
Resident Company of the Kauffman Center
Tom Sawyer, a Ballet in Three Acts (world premiere), October 14-23
The Nutcracker, December 3-24
Romeo and Juliet, February 17-26
Masters of American Dance, May 4-13
Kansas City Symphony
Resident Company of the Kauffman Center
The Kansas City Symphony’s inaugural season features 14 different classical programs, as well as pops, holiday, and family programs. Works in the classical series were chosen to showcase the new Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center, and the season features more world-renowned guest artists and conductors ever presented in a single season of the Kansas City Symphony. Highlights of the season include:
Fountains Commission by Chen Yi and guest artist Emanuel Ax (world premiere), September 23-25
Guest artist Yo-Yo Ma, January 20-22
Guest conductor Christoph von Dohnányi, March 2-4
Guest artist Joyce DiDonato, March 23-25
Water Music by Daniel Kellogg and guest artist Yefim Bronfman (world premiere), March 30-April 1
The Muse of Missouri by Stephen Hartke and guest artist Joshua Bell (world premiere), June 15-17
Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Resident Company of the Kauffman Center
Turandot (new production), October 1, 5, 7, 9
Così fan Tutte, November 5, 9, 11, 13
Nixon in China, March 10, 14, 16, 18
The Barber of Seville, April 21, 25, 27, 29
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, November 16-19
Presented by Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey
Harriman-Jewell Series
Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, October 1
Vienna Symphony, November 9
DePueBrothersXmas, December 19
Hamburg Symphony, January 25
Parsons Dance, January 28
Juan Diego Flores, February 19
Ray Chen, March 11
Red Army Chorus, March 16
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, March 31
Heartland Men’s Chorus
Summer Concert, June 16-17
Kansas City Broadway Series
Presented by Theater League
An Evening with Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin, January 17-22
Million Dollar Quartet, March 20-25
Next to Normal, June 5-10
The Friends of Chamber Music
The Darwin Project (world premiere), October 14
Presented in partnership with the Kauffman Center
Chanticleer, November 5
Bach Festival/Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, February 14
Bach Festival/ Konstantin Lifschitz, February 18
Presented in partnership with the Kauffman Center
The KU School of Music
Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble with Paul Popiel and Dan Gailey as conductors, November 13
KU Concert Opera, David Neely as conductor, May 5
University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance Artist Series
Conservatory Concert Jazz Band, Conservatory Wind Symphony and PRISM Quartet, September 28
Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, February 20
Conservatory Dancers, Choirs, and Wind Symphony
Chinese Myths by Chen Yi, April 28
Conservatory Orchestra
Youth Symphony of Kansas City
Spring Concert, April 22
About the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, a major new center for music, opera, theater, and dance designed by Moshe Safdie will open in Kansas City in September 2011. The Kauffman Center will present vibrant performances and educational programming, and will advance the role of the performing arts as a catalyst for Kansas City’s educational, civic, and economic vitality.
Three of the region’s leading performing arts organizations—Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City—will be in residence at the Kauffman Center. The Kauffman Center’s two performance venues, the 1,800-seat Muriel Kauffman Theatre and the 1,600-seat Helzberg Hall, will offer audiences engaging and intimate experiences, while at the same time providing resident companies with dramatically enhanced performance capabilities.
Serving as a cultural cornerstone for Kansas City’s dynamic downtown, the Kauffman Center will bring a new spotlight to the region’s performing arts community while simultaneously attracting some of the world’s most talented performers and entertainers, further establishing Kansas City as a major cultural destination.
More information on the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is available at kauffmancenter.org.
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For media in Kansas City:
Larry Jacob
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
816-308-8703
For media outside of Kansas City:
Maria May / Isabel Sinistore
Resnicow Schroeder Associates
212-671-5173 / 212-671-5175
mmay@resnicowschroeder.com / isinistore@resnicowschroeder.com
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