More than 10,000 at Kauffman Center to celebrate the fifth anniversary as a thank you to all who helped make Kauffman Center a cultural cornerstone in Kansas City.
BravoKC, a five-year birthday celebration at the Kauffman Center, welcomed more than 10,000 visitors to celebrate the milestone anniversary of the opening of the Kauffman Center. BravoKC: Kauffman Center Turns Five, Live was a free event for Kansas City on First Friday, Sept. 2, which featured live performances from eclectic local performers in Brandmeyer Great Hall and both Helzberg Hall and Muriel Kauffman Theatre stages as well as the south lawn. The event featured lawn games provided by KC Crew such as horseshoes, volleyball and croquet, a Kauffman Center- inspired cake contest and finished with a breathtaking fireworks display. Food, drinks and specialty cocktails were plentiful, and visitors were greeted at the top of the grand staircase by Board Chairman Julia Irene Kauffman.
“BravoKC was 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.
As well as being an iconic landmark, the Kauffman Center symbolizes the transformation of Kansas City’s urban core, and reflects the vibrant energy, creativity and forward-thinking that the community has embraced. Kansas City is becoming known as America’s Creative Crossroads, a great place to work, live and play, as noted in several national publications such as The New York Times and The Huffington Post.
“Great things are happening in Kansas City, and we are proud to be a part of the robust arts community,” noted Schofer. “The Crossroads and surrounding neighborhoods have this amazing vibrancy that the Kauffman Center is proud to be a part of building, but we didn’t do it alone. Kansas City is home to an awe-inspiring amount of innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity. Local business owners, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, artists and residents make Kansas City what it is today and continue to provide the opportunity for the Kauffman Center to thrive and in turn, spark even more creativity and growth within our community. ”
Presenting a wide spectrum of entertainers and performers from around the world as well as regional performing arts organizations, the Kauffman Center has become widely known for extraordinary performing arts experiences. For more information and a schedule of upcoming performances, visit kauffmancenter. org or call 816. 994. 7222.
–Megan Felling
