Libby Hanssen

Originally from Indiana, Libby Hanssen covers the performing arts in Kansas City. She’s written for KCUR, “KC Studio,” “The Kansas City Star,” “The Pitch” and “KCMetropolis.” Libby maintains the culture blog “Proust Eats A Sandwich” and writes poetry and children’s books. Along with degrees in trombone performance, she was a Fellow for the NEA Arts Journalism Institute at Columbia University.

Jean Belmont Ford: The Joy of Writing Music

Last March, during the last performance of the American Choral Directors Association’s conference, the Kansas City Chorale performed the latest work by Kansas City composer Jean Belmont Ford, “Manifesto.” The piece wasn’t listed on the program and when artistic director Charles Bruffy announced that she was in the audience, people gasped.

July 29, 2019
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In “Women of Note,” Kansas City Baroque Consortium Celebrates the Influential Women of the Era

Kansas City Baroque Consortium’s summer concert series, now in its third year, is elegant and intimate, and growing into a must-attend event. These concerts are more than just satisfying collages of Baroque era music, though the players strive for authentic-as-possible performances on period instruments. They also set the music in historical context, bringing to light […]

July 27, 2019
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Summerfest Chamber Music series opens first chapter of “Short Stories and Novelettes” in bold performance

We live and learn through stories, balancing the comfort of the familiar and the thrill of the new. Of our heroes, we strip away humanity to embellish their mythologies, confusing gossip and history as their stories are retold, refined and enforced. The story, as told with and through music, is the theme for this year’s […]

July 7, 2019
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Arts News: KC Symphony Welcomes an Ambitious New Leader

Every carpenter knows that to build quality furniture, you start with quality materials. It just so happens that Daniel E. Beckley, the newly appointed executive director of the Kansas City Symphony, is an avid woodworker, so it’s no surprise, perhaps, that the board of directors has asked him not to just manage the organization, but […]

July 3, 2019
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Harlem Quartet Comes to Carlsen Center as Ensemble-in-Residence for Heartland Chamber Music Festival

The Harlem Quartet debuted in 2006, named to honor the Harlem Renaissance of 100 years ago. The ensemble was founded by the Sphinx Organization, which uses classical music to further social justice. It has traveled the world promoting diversity in classical music and engaged young audiences by presenting both traditional string quartet repertoire and a variety of styles by underrepresented composers.

July 2, 2019
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Moving Arts: New Name, Same Passion.

The name you are born with isn’t always how you are known. Such is the case with Moving Arts, which began existence as the Kansas City Dance Festival and now, seven years in, has evolved into a dual-city summer company: a four-week residency with performances in both Kansas City and Cincinnati. The troupe has always […]

June 22, 2019
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