Support from Rita Blitt

Several years ago artist Rita Blitt turned on some music in her studio and started to paint with two hands. It was freeing, she says. “It felt like I was dancing.” Plus, if you take a broad look at the influence that gesture and motion have had on her work, it’s not hard to figure out why a painter and sculptor like Rita Blitt became a donor to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts early in the capital campaign.

“Art performances of many types have long been major influences on my work. Dancing and movement in music and nature have inspired me greatly,” says Blitt. “So the idea that we could help to provide outstanding venues for Kansas City’s dance, theater and opera groups was a natural match for my art and for Irwin’s community involvement.” Her husband Irwin Blitt is a businessman and founding partner in Copaken, White and Blitt.

Since childhood, Rita Blitt has considered herself an artist. “One of my fondest childhood memories of grade school is the sight of fresh drawing paper being passed out,” she says. In her book The Passionate Gesture you can see at least one drawing she did at age 10 — of a happy girl, singing and swaying. A reviewer noted of the piece: “Rita created a naïve, conceptual artwork, referring to the visual arts, music and dance.”

So the Kauffman Center’s strong commitment toward education in the arts hits a soft spot in Blitt’s heart, too. “When I was 10 and 11, I received scholarships for Saturday classes at the Kansas City Art Institute. It was a milestone event for me, because I saw the possibility of a life built around art,” Blitt shares. “If the Kauffman Center has the same effect on other youth, what a difference it can make in young people’s lives.”

Blitt’s connections with the performing arts are wide and deep. In the 1970s she met a young, talented dancer named David Parsons. “He is from Kansas City and I saw him dance at the Midland Theater,” Blitt reminisces. “He was just 14, but I intuitively knew I was seeing real talent.” Blitt went backstage to meet him, and a lifelong relationship developed with him and, later, the Parsons Dance Company.

David Parsons says, “In Rita’s creations, I find movement caught in time. Her paintings and sculpture allow me to see elements of my dances, which normally pass too quickly.”

Many experiences at the Aspen Music Festival have also influenced Blitt’s art, thinking and approach to life. “Experiencing music combined with the nature of the mountains has been a wonderful inspiration for me. When I listen to music I feel the movement,” Blitt says.

“So I can’t wait to see the music and movement that occurs on stage at the Kauffman Center,” Blitt says. “Who knows how it will inspire not only my artwork but also lives in the greater Kansas City community.”

Want to see the one-tenth scale model? It’s available for group tours and individual visits by appointment. Call 816-994-7200 to arrange a tour.

See the latest rendering of the Kauffman Center’s Concert Hall.

Learn more about how you can have a hand in the new Kauffman Center.

Sneak Peak of the Kauffman Center’s Architecture

The Crossroads District is the place to be on First Fridays. And we just added one more reason to head downtown that night.

Drop by the Arts Incubator on April 6, come up to the third floor and take a guided tour of our architectural model. Talk with our Ambassadors about the latest news and enjoy this inspiring environment. We’ll be looking for you at 115 W. 18th Street.

Thanks to Jeff Becker of the Arts Incubator for opening this space to us for the next three months. The Arts Incubator is a nonprofit dedicated to working with emerging artists in the development of their careers. In addition to business workshops and consulting, the Arts Incubator provides affordable, quality studio space within the dynamic Crossroads Arts District. While you’re there, tour the artist studios and gallery, too.

If you arrive before dark, you take a peek out the northeast windows and see progress on the site. Altogether, it’s a great chance to introduce your friends and family to the Kauffman Center.

History in the Making: Word-class Pipe Organ

When the Kansas City Symphony performs at the Kauffman Center there’s one instrument they won’t have to bring with them. It’s a 5,548-pipe organ that will be a visual centerpiece in the concert hall, as well as an integral part of the musical experience.

“Kansas City will have the finest concert hall organ in the United States,” promises organ consultant James David Christie. “We’ve chosen a mechanical action organ in the French romantic tradition that will have 79 stops and 102 ranks. It’s very large, but not too large for the room. And this organ is lacking for nothing. We’ll have everything we need to do the entire organ repertoire and to serve music very beautifully.”

Putting a ‘halo’ around the orchestra

Pipe organs are standard components of concert halls around the world today. So, when planners began to explore options, they turned to organ consultant James David Christie to guide the complex decision-making that lay ahead. Christie is an internationally renowned organist who has completed fifty tours of Europe and performed often in Canada, Asia, Australia and Iceland. He has also served as organist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1978.

“Selecting an organ for a concert hall is a very complex process with many variables to consider,” Christie explains. “In a symphony hall, the organ must be able to do three things. First, it must be able to work with an orchestra. This includes a role as an equal partner, and it must also have the ability to perform ‘under’ the orchestra. I call that the ability to ‘put a halo’ around the orchestra. And, of course, it must be able to dominate an orchestra when needed in organ concertos or orchestral works where the organ must soar above the orchestra. Second, the organ must be able to work with a choir or choral group. And, third, it must be capable of playing the great solo organ repertoires.”

For the Kauffman Center project, Christie studied many existing concert hall organs and assessed their features — what worked, what didn’t? “It’s about determining how the pipes will ‘speak and sing’ within our space.” Many conversations took place about the variables, needs and the various styles of organs that were possible.

Selecting a committed partner

Once the style of instrument was determined, Christie assisted in the in selection of the organ builder. The Kauffman Center wanted a world-class instrument, so many options were considered, including possible purchase of an existing pipe organ that was for sale. Finally the decision was made to go with a pipe organ that would be custom-designed with the room and match the unique needs of the site. Before the organ builder choice was finalized, architect Moshe Safdie and acoustician Yasu Toyota were brought into the process. Safdie, Christie and Ken Dworak later traveled to Quebec to discuss space specifications, the aesthetic demands and the facade of the organ.

The 125 year-old firm Casavant Frères from Quebec, Canada was selected to build the organ for several reasons. First, they are renowned for quality organs that have stood the test of time. Second, they have an excellent sense of the architectural and tonal requirements of organs. And, Christie says, “Casavant is truly committed to this project, as they feel it will be an essential part of a stellar concert hall. They are going above and beyond with their support and care on this project because of its importance.”

Next steps in the process fall to the Casavant team, who will design the architectural look of the organ, console, the key action, and the pipe scalings. This work will be done in close connection with the building design team, the organ consultant and the acoustician. Casavant will need approximately 24 months to complete their work, not including installation time needed on site in the concert hall.

As the holidays approach and we give thanks for our blessings, we are especially grateful for friends like you who support the exciting possibilities that the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts offers. We encourage you to play a part before the curtain goes up – actually, before the curtains are even hung! Then have the pleasure of watching your donation build your performing arts center.

Art is the hallmark of a great civilization, and it is the voice through which we communicate with generations to come. Say your piece with a contribution that helps the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts reach its fullest potential. If you’d like to make a gift at this time, here are some ways to consider.

Cash

Cash donations of any amount make a real difference. By helping to build world-class performance spaces, to create effective educational programs and to conduct dynamic community outreach, your gift establishes a legacy of civic pride for generations.

Secure credit card donations can be made through our website:

Or mail checks to:

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
1601 Broadway
Kansas City, MO 64108

Securities

Gifts of appreciated securities (bonds and stock, including stock in closely held companies) often provide important tax advantages. Their full fair market value is deductible as a charitable contribution up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income.

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation and all gifts made to the Center are tax deductible to the extent provided by the state and federal law.

Groundbreaking Kicks off on October First Friday

A traditional groundbreaking complete with hardhats and shovels will take place at 4 p.m. on the new performing arts center site on Oct. 6, 2006. The public and invited guests will gather at 17th and Wyandotte to watch the earth move. Guests will also hear brief remarks from Julia Irene Kauffman, Mayor Kay Barnes and design team leaders Moshe Safdie, Richard Pilbrow and Yasuhisa Toyota.

From 5 to 8 p.m. the action moves to the old fire station at 19th and Central (and a nearby parking lot) to become part of the First Friday festivities. You’re invited, and here’s what you can expect:

• A tenth-scale model of the concert hall is being built in the old fire station at 215 W. 18th Street. The public will be invited inside to take a sneak peek at this model under construction which will be used to test acoustics and perfect design concepts. The model is no tiny treasure: it will be 15 feet high and 18 feet wide.
• A stage will be erected in the parking lot at TakeTwo Productions at 1906 Wyandotte to accommodate the steady stream of entertainment that will take place throughout the evening. Enjoy musicians from the Kansas City Symphony, dancers from the Kansas City Ballet, a bit of drama from Lyric Opera performers. And that’s not all, as representatives of other arts groups are being lined up now.
• Meet the Ambassador volunteers and learn how you can become involved.

If you’re at First Friday on September 1st, keep your eye out for Ambassadors in special blue t-shirts. They’ll be drumming up interest in the groundbreaking activities, handing out invitations and showing some off-the-wall-video projections.