Blog Post – Lyric Opera of Kansas City

LOKC Amplified: February 2026

February 3, 2026February 2, 2026 by Lyric Opera of Kansas City

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. ✒️♥️

LOKC Amplified: December 2025

December 4, 2025December 1, 2025 by Lyric Opera of Kansas City

December is upon us, and with it comes the close of 2025. ☃️ Last month, we presented three gorgeous performances of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. 🦋 Read below to see what the critics thought, and explore our show gallery page, replete with photos, videos, reviews, and more. 📸 You can also learn about the incredible work … Read more

LOKC Amplified: November 2024

November 6, 2024 by Lyric Opera of Kansas City

November is here—who’s ready for family, fun, and a bit of flair? ✨ Embrace the season with turkey 🦃, pumpkin spice 🥧, and a dash of Italian comedy 🎭! Our 2024-2025 season rolls on with The Barber of Seville, running November 15-17. Expect stunning visuals, a tremendous cast, and an extraordinary creative team bringing Rossini’s classic … Read more

“The Legacy of Vitality in the Paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe”

September 9, 2024August 29, 2024 by Lyric Opera Community Contributor

Julie Farstad, Associate Professor of Painting at the Kansas City Art Institute Born on a farm in the Wisconsin prairie and eventually finding her true home in the semiarid valleys and mesas of New Mexico, Georgia O’Keeffe marveled at the awe she felt in the natural world and spent her life trying to create paintings … Read more

“The Photographic Feeling”

August 26, 2024August 26, 2024 by Lyric Opera Community Contributor

Trey Hock, Assistant Professor of Animation at Kansas City Art Institute Born in 1864, Alfred Stieglitz was just twenty-five years younger than the medium of photography itself. As a young man, Stieglitz was driven by a love of theater, music, as well as the visual arts. It wasn’t until his late teens that he came … Read more

“My New Yorks”: Discovering Georgia O’Keeffe

July 26, 2024July 26, 2024 by Emily Stott

Our first production of the 2024–2025 season is The Brightness of Light by Kevin Puts, which tells the story of the relationship between modern artist Georgia O’Keeffe and gallerist, photographer, and her eventual husband, Alfred Stieglitz. My postgraduate studies were in opera and music history, but I’m sad to say that I wasn’t exposed to … Read more

LOKC Amplified: May 2024

May 17, 2024May 7, 2024 by Lyric Opera of Kansas City

It’s been a beautiful spring so far in Kansas City. 🌞 At the end of spring, the final landmark performances 🎭 of Kansas City’s venerable performing arts organizations will take place. Lyric Opera rounded out its season with Journey to Valhalla, our new compendium of Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle. 🗡️ ICYMI, we announced the 2024-2025 season … Read more

Art, History, and Responsibility: Confronting the Past and Embracing Complexity

May 16, 2024May 1, 2024 by Lyric Opera of Kansas City

by Neal Long, Director of Learning On Monday, April 29, 2024, I attended an Opera Dives Deep presentation by Dr. Ron Witzke entitled “Monuments of Tone and Stone.” Dr. Witzke—a bass-baritone, professor, and librettist—is a close friend of Lyric Opera of Kansas City and regularly appears on stage in productions at the Kauffman Center for … Read more

Forging Friendship: What The Haberdasher Prince Teaches Us About Human Connection

April 3, 2024April 2, 2024 by Lyric Opera of Kansas City

ATTENTION: This post contains minor spoilers. In the enchanting tale of The Haberdasher Prince, friendship emerges as a guiding force, leading our principal characters–the Village Girl, King Hamluk, the Queen, and Prince Panderbash–on a journey to connection and companionship. Here is what The Haberdasher Prince can teach us about being a true friend. Trust Surrounded … Read more

LOKC AMPLIFIED: JANUARY 2024

January 11, 2024 by Lyric Opera of Kansas City

Happy New Year from Lyric Opera of Kansas City! 🎊 We start 2024 with numerous opportunities to engage with opera and our community. Highlights include a silent dinner 🍝 from our friends at Orpheus KC, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, 🌟 and our beloved opera written for young people, Sketchbook for Ollie, 📘 goes back on … Read more