September Newsletter, 2022

The end of summer is here! That might mean cooler days approaching in Kansas City, but the stage at the Kauffman Center will heat up with live opera when we open Carmen on September 24. Read below to learn more about adult education opportunities to deepen your experience of Carmen and our new traveling opera for students, Sketchbook … Read more

Plaza, KC v. Seville, Spain

This coming fall, we are opening our 2022-2023 season with one of the most well-known operas of all time – Carmen. This story takes place in Seville, Spain, where the audience is taken on a rollercoaster of emotions as Carmen fights for love…and survival. What you may not know about this classic tale is that we … Read more

Great Artistry With Vinson Cole

In celebration of Black History Month, we asked Vinson Cole, renowned tenor and Creative Consultant and Director of Resident Artists, to share some of his favorite opera singers. Leontyne Price “One of the greatest singers of all time. She was the pinnacle of her repertoire. I was listening to an Aida on the Met station that she … Read more

Getting to Know Vinson Cole

Photo courtesy of © Aaron Lindberg Photography In celebration of Black History Month, we got to sit down Vinson Cole, renowned tenor with an international performing career. Vinson made his Lyric Opera stage debut as the Shepherd Boy in Tosca and joined the LOKC staff in 2015 as Creative Consultant and Director of Resident Artists. Learn how … Read more

Opera in Eight Parts: Making it Happen

by Dr. William Everett MAKING IT HAPPEN The unique challenges of 2020 have made us think up new and affirming projects in the midst of tremendous uncertainties and unknowns. I was honored and delighted to be part of one of these, Opera in Eight Parts, produced under the auspices of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. In planning and … Read more

Opera in Eight Parts: Exotic or Faux-Exotic?

by Dr. Martin Nedbal EXOTIC OR FAUX-EXOTIC? In the series “Opera in Eight Parts,” produced by Lyric Opera of Kansas City, I was asked to discuss nineteenth-century operatic nationalism and exoticism. There are many well-known operas associated with exoticism, the depiction of foreign, often non-Western places by European composers, and even more national works, in … Read more

Intermezzo

Lyric Opera’s Deborah Sandler invites you to enjoy excerpts of great past performances in a limited series called Intermezzo. I hope you are well and safe at home. Maybe you’re working from home, learning something new, listening to something new, or reaching out to friends and family as we navigate this unparalleled situation. For now, … Read more

Point of View: La boheme

Photographer Don Ipock captures La bohème from the wings.Look for BONUS shots exclusively on our Instagram feed: @kcopera Puccini’s La bohème  continues to stand the test of time. View stage director Kathleen Smith Belcher’s energetic and romantic production from a different viewpoint: Don Ipock’s beautiful black-and-white images taken from the wings at the final dress rehearsal in the … Read more

Point of View: The Abduction from the Seraglio

Photographer Don Ipock captures The Abduction from the Seraglio from the wings.Look for BONUS shots exclusively on our Instagram feed: @kcopera Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio is “a captivating rom-com” and “a youthful, buoyant work with an ambitious, energetic viewpoint” (Libby Hanssen, KC Studio). Kelly Luck, writing for Broadway World, also commented, “We’re here for the music, and … Read more