Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato will perform the song cycle “Emily – No Prisoner Be” with the Time for Three string trio (below) (Harriman-Jewell Series)
Joyce DiDonato returns and other highlights
The coming months abound with exciting and intriguing performances you won’t want to miss. Many feature American works to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, and some showcase outstanding performers and repertory. Here are some to consider.
HARRIMAN-JEWELL SERIES: JOYCE DIDONATO AND TIME FOR THREE
It’s always a major event when mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato returns to Kansas City. The Prairie Village native performs regularly around the world, showcasing her gold standard of vocal artistry. Combine that with the work of a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and a Grammy Award-winning string trio, and the stage is set for success.
The Harriman-Jewell Series features the music of Kevin Puts in a performance at the Folly Theater on Feb. 14. DiDonato is no stranger to the music of Puts — she performed his opera “The Hours” alongside soprano Renée Fleming and Broadway icon Kelli O’Hara at the Metropolitan Opera in 2022. The same year, the world premiere of “Contact,” a triple concerto for orchestra and string trio, and specifically composed for Time for Three, was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. A subsequent recording won the 2023 Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
The February concert will present “Emily – No Prisoner Be,” described as a “semi-staged song cycle based on (and featuring) the poetry of Emily Dickinson.” Puts’ music is emotionally charged and rhythmically driving — among the reasons he received Musical America’s 2024 Composer of the Year award.
Two other Harriman-Jewell performances deserve attention. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs in the Kauffman Center on Friday, March 13; and on Thursday, May 28, three instrumental superstars perform together: American violinist Joshua Bell, British cellist Steven Isserlis and Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin. www.hjseries.org
KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY
Under the baton of guest conductor Peter Oundjian, our hometown orchestra performs an American-themed concert from June 19 to 21. Included on the program are works by two underperformed women composers. Contemporary musician Joan Tower will be represented by her “Suite from Concerto for Orchestra.” In addition, the Symphony will feature the “Piano Concerto” by African American composer Florence Price. Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and Dvořák’s “New World Symphony” complete the program.
Violinist Leila Josefowicz joins Music Director Matthias Pintscher Feb. 6-8 for Karol Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 2, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. Maurice Ravel’s “Mother Goose” will also be performed. www.kcsymphony.org
FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC
Continuing their 50th anniversary season, the Friends present the Venice Baroque Orchestra Feb. 6 at Unity Temple on the Plaza. This is by no means your parents’ period-style orchestra. Led by founding conductor Andrea Marcon, the ensemble is famous for brisk tempos, crisp articulations and suave phrasing. Featuring violinist Chouchane Siranossian, the program includes concertos by Vivaldi, Locatelli, Veracini and Tartini.
The season-ending concert May 3 at the Kauffman Center will include 12 well-known instrumentalists (including artistic directors Hyeyeon Park and Dmitri Atapine) in a presentation of music by Fauré and the ever-popular “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns. In addition, a contemporary work co-commissioned by the Friends of Chamber Music by Michael Stephen Brown will be performed. www.chambermusic.org
LYRIC OPERA OF KANSAS CITY
The Lyric features two American works. The classic “Porgy and Bess” (See Concert to Come, page 42), will receive three performances between Feb. 28 and March 8. This is the first time the work will be performed by the Lyric and will be conducted by Michael Ellis Ingram and directed by Francesca Zambello.
Carlisle Floyd’s setting of the John Steinbeck novella “Of Mice and Men” will be presented three times the weekend of May 1 to 3. www.kcopera.org
KANSAS CITY CHORALE
The Kansas City Chorale, KC’s multiple Grammy-winning professional chorus under the longtime direction of Charles Bruffy, presents “Tender Light” March 13 at Village Presbyterian Church. The concert will feature a chamber orchestra and the church’s marvelous pipe organ. In May they present American works, with “Amazing Grace,” a program of hymns and spirituals from the American church. There are two performances — May 15 at Asbury United Methodist Church in Prairie Village and May 22 at Westport Presbyterian. www.kcchorale.org
BACH ARIA SOLOISTS
These outstanding KC artists continue their series of fascinating partnerships April 11 at Village Presbyterian Church, when they collaborate with KC Actors Theater. The program is titled “Our Favorite Things” and features some of BAS’ best-loved compositions alongside favored scenes by KCAT. On Feb. 12, they perform alongside horn player and KC native Chris Komer in a concert featuring the Brahms Horn Trio and contemporary selections. The performance is at the 1900 Building. www.bachariasoloists.com
KC BALLET
Two American-themed programs will be offered this spring. “Stars and Stripes,” March 20-29, will feature works by George Balanchine and Agnes de Mille. From May 8 to 17 the company presents “The Great Gatsby,” set to choreography by Septime Webre and music by Billy Novick. Both productions take place at the Kauffman Center. www.kcballet.org
SPIRE CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
The Spire Chamber Ensemble joins with the Allegro Children’s Choir for two concerts in April called “The American Songbook,” April 25 at St. Paul’s Episcopal in Kansas City and April 26 at Atonement Lutheran in Overland Park. www.spirechamberensemble.org
