There are only ten days of winter left, and as the weather warms up, Lyric Opera continues to be as busy as a bumblebee as we continue to bring opera to the Kansas City community. 🐝 Throughout the spring, there are loads of fantastic programming at Lyric Opera. Our new show about Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes ✍️ opens this month, and then it’s the annual Lyric Opera Ball, the Lyric’s premier fundraising event. 🎭Looking further into spring we have a full slate of education events in support of our final opera, Of Mice and Men, 🌾 including a special screening of the 1992 film adaptation starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise in collaboration with our friends at Screenland Armour. 🎥
We also have a super special edition of community conversations with Cultivate KC. 🧤 Come to learn about themes of agriculture and the American Dream in an evening on the farm. This is an excellent service opportunity, but come ready to get your hands dirty. Spring into opera with Lyric Opera of Kansas City! 🌷
An earth song!
A body song!
A spring song!
And I've been waiting long
For an earth song.(Langston Hughes, “Earth Song”)
Langston Hughes was born in 1901 in Joplin, Missouri, but spent his childhood in Topeka and Lawrence, Kansas, and in the Kansas City area. 🌻 An early innovator of jazz poetry, he became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, centered in New York City. 🏙️ This semi-staged musical program and literary event honors Hughes’ extraordinary legacy as a writer.
Free performances March 15–April 2, 2026
Lyric Opera Ball 2025 / Photo © David Riffell
We are just one month away from the Lyric Opera Ball! Tickets are available now for April 11, but if you can’t make it to the party, you can still win big without being present by participating in the raffle! This year's exciting raffle prizes include a beautiful sculpture by Tom Corbin, or a pair of matching ruby jewelry pieces for a lucky couple by VanBrock Jewels.
The Gershwins®' Porgy and Bess / Photo © Andrew Schwartz
Lyric Opera's first-ever production of Porgy and Bess was a hit! Relive your favorite moments from Catfish Row by checking out a special gallery, with exclusive clips of the opera’s greatest moments, stunning photography of our stellar cast, and other media about the production.
Set rendering for Of Mice and Men © Luke Cantarella
Carlisle Floyd's sweeping opera Of Mice and Men dramatically captures the peace, beauty, and gritty realism of the American spirit in John Steinbeck's classic novella. As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of America's founding, we reflect on the fragility of the American Dream through the story of George and Lennie: two farm workers in the Great Depression who migrated to California in search of work.
Photo © Cultivate KC
We want you to connect personally and meaningfully to the art on our stage. Patrons who explore our free programs find themselves more engaged with the performance. Dive deeper into Of Mice and Men with these opportunities to enhance your experience. 🎭
📅 April 14 at 6:00 pm: Experience the intersection of agriculture and the arts by joining Lyric Opera and Cultivate KC for an evening of music, conversation, and hands-on farm service. 🚜 Reflect on the enduring themes of the American Dream while getting your hands dirty in support of the New Roots farmer training program! 🌱
📅 April 20 at 6:00 pm: Step into the tragic world of George and Lennie as we explore Carlisle Floyd’s powerful operatic adaptation of the Steinbeck classic. 🌾 Join us to learn exactly what to listen for in this gripping operatic masterpiece! 🎼
📅 April 27 at 6:00 pm: Discover how Of Mice and Men joins the ranks of great American novels adapted for the operatic stage. 📚 Floyd’s adaptation reimagines the American landscape through melody and character—where sound and silence shape empathy, morality, and myth. ✨
📅 April 18 at 3:30 pm: Grab your popcorn and take your seat for a special screening of the 1992 classic Of Mice and Men at Screenland Armour! 🍿 Use promo code LYRIC for $5 off tickets. 🎬
Bring a group of students to the final dress rehearsal of Of Mice and Men! To enhance learning, teachers receive curricular resources and a chance to schedule pre- and post-teaching at your school. 🍎
The 2026-27 season has arrived, jam-packed with wit, passion, and intrigue. With celebrated operas like La bohème, The Marriage of Figaro, The Pirates of Penzance, and Aida, next season has something for opera newbies and lifelong operagoers alike. Become a Lyric Opera subscriber to get the best price on tickets and receive several other perks throughout the season!
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Season Sponsors
With public support from the State of Missouri and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
The Gershwins®' Porgy and Bess is supported, in part, by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund and the Mark Edelman Theater Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
Langston Hughes: A Lyrical Life is presented in partnership with the Missouri Humanities with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund. Additional support is provided, in part, by the Dr. Mary E. Brothers Resident Artist Performance Fund.
