Libby Hanssen

Libby Hanssen

Libby Hanssen covers the performing arts in Kansas City. She maintains the culture blog, “Proust Eats a Sandwich,” and writes poetry and children’s books. She holds a master’s degree in trombone performance from UMKC Conservatory and currently works at UMKC’s Music/Media Library.

William Baker Festival Singers in “Candlelight, Carols & Cathedral”

William Baker Festival Singers in “Candlelight, Carols & Cathedral”

For many, singing is a non-negotiable necessity of holiday tradition. Unfortunately, that activity, without precautions, can be high risk for spreading coronavirus. William Baker Festival Singers, with the intention of spreading only holiday cheer, presented their annual holiday concerts while implementing strict safety procedures for performers and audiences. Traditions are strange things, ways of doing […]

Form on Film: A New Mode for New Dance Partners 2020

Form on Film: A New Mode for New Dance Partners 2020

Up close and personal is not something that’s happening within most arts these days. But the collaborative artists who reimagined this season’s New Dance Partners displayed elaborate, expressive internal worlds, bringing the audience as near to dance as we are going to get in the now times. Dance on film is a different beast than […]

A “Hart”warming Thanksgiving Concert with The Wires

Part concert, part historical tour, The Wires Alternative String Duo presented a unique Thanksgiving Eve performance that paired an inside peak to a celebrated Missouri painter with their winsome string stylings. “A ‘Hart’warming Thanksgiving,” filmed at the Thomas Hart Benton Home & Studio Historic Site in Kansas City, Missouri’s Roanoke neighborhood, was the second installment […]

Honors: Elizabeth Stehling

Honors: Elizabeth Stehling

A feeling, a question, a moment: These are some of the concepts filmmaker Elizabeth Stehling explores in her work. Stehling is one of ten awardees of the Charlotte Street Foundation’s Art Where You’re At: Social Distant Art Projects grant created in response to the lockdowns due to COVID-19.

Bach Aria Soloists Charm in “Notes & Letters”

Bach Aria Soloists Charm in “Notes & Letters”

Without fail, the Bach Aria Soloists’ “Notes & Letters” program is a charming offering to the concert season. The ensemble excels at creating welcoming, intimate events and, even in these times of distancing (physical and virtual), the group delivered such a concert. Recorded at the 1900 Building’s Parkway Room and viewable as a live stream […]