2026 marks the United States’ 250th birthday. Lyric Opera of Kansas City is celebrating this occasion with the production of two iconic American operas: The Gershwins®’ Porgy and Bess and Of Mice and Men. Langston Hughes: A Lyrical Life continues this celebration by honoring the prolific, Missouri-born writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Meet … Read more
This production sets to song the story of two migrant farm workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they navigate the uncertainty of the Great Depression. They dream of one day owning a place of their own but Lennie, who has an intellectual disability, continues to find himself in trouble, despite his good intentions. Meet … Read more
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 … Read more
We hope you made it through the deep freeze of January! ☃️ Now that February is here, we are awash in a flurry of activity around our upcoming production of The Gershwins®’ Porgy and Bess. 🎣 We officially kick things off with a special Community Conversation at the Kansas City Library-Plaza Branch 📚 where we’ll explore the context of Porgy and Bess. We are also offering our usual slate of Opera Dives Deep sessions with national and regional scholars 🧠 to provide a framework so you get the most out of your experience, and special to Porgy and Bess, one of these sessions will be between the two weekends of performances. 🗓️ After Porgy closes, check out our new work, Langston Hughes: A Lyrical Life, about the Missouri-native writer. ✒️♥️
A note from Michael Ellis Ingram, conductor of Porgy and Bess.
What communities do you belong to? Why is community important? When Porgy, a kind-hearted man with a disability, meets Bess, a woman with a drug addiction who’s been abandoned by her abusive boyfriend, a pure and beautiful love blossoms. This iconic American opera about life in a fictional Charleston, South Carolina neighborhood, Catfish Row, highlights … Read more
Dive deeper into The Gershwins®’ Porgy and Bess with these opportunities to enhance your experience. 🎭
🎊Happy New Year from Lyric Opera! 🎊 Now it’s time to delve into two American classics as we kick off America’s 250th birthday year. 🎂🦅 The second half of our season explores American opera and letters. Together, we’ll experience two major American operas: The Gershwins®’ Porgy and Bess 🎣 and Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and … Read more
Meet the friends whose lives have been transformed by opera.
In partnership with The Museum of Kansas City, we recently hosted a Community Conversation exploring Japanese American relations, past, present, and future. Miss Shizuoka, the Japanese Friendship doll in the Museum’s collection, was the icon of the event, embodying the youth and innocence of the event’s title—Eyes Full of Magic. The title is taken from … Read more
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