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Kansas City Symphony Announces First Season in the Kauffman Center

A view of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts from the South Lobby Atrium of the Bartle Hall Grand Ballroom.
photo: Laura Spencer/KCUR
A view of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts from the South Lobby Atrium of the Bartle Hall Grand Ballroom.

The Kansas City Symphony today announced its 2011-2012 season, its inaugural season in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

By Laura Spencer

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-946118.mp3

Kansas City, MO – The Kansas City Symphony today announced its 2011-2012 season, its inaugural season in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

The programming includes world premieres inspired by Kansas City's fountains, and guest artists, like cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Kansas City-based mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.

The Symphony's Executive Director Frank Byrne calls it a "truly transformational moment for the Kansas City Symphony and for our audiences." Byrne says the season is designed to showcase Helzberg Hall and the Symphony.

"It's a new dimension in sound, vivid sound that is both heard and felt," says Byrne. "It's like nothing we've ever experienced."

The Symphony, the Kansas City Ballet, and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City are the three resident companies for the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, which opens on September 16, 2011. The Symphony's season begins the following weekend, September 23-25.

For a more detailed look at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, its mission, and the organizations that will present there, check out KCUR's blog Sound and Glass.

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Kansas City is known for its style of jazz, influenced by the blues, as the home of Walt Disney’s first animation studio and the headquarters of Hallmark Cards. As one of KCUR’s arts reporters, I want people here to know a wide range of arts and culture stories from across the metropolitan area. I take listeners behind the scenes and introduce them to emerging artists and organizations, as well as keep up with established institutions. Send me an email at lauras@kcur.org or follow me on Twitter @lauraspencer.
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