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KC Symphony Pairs Up With Adam Schoenberg, And Langston Hughes' Lawrence Legacy

Courtesy Through A Glass Productions

The Kansas City Symphony has released an album of music it commissioned from one of America's most promising composers. We learn about that collaboration, and about the composer's creative process. Then, Langston Hughes lived in Lawrence until just after high school, but still managed to leave a legacy of activism there.  A new documentary short film explores that legacy. The Gypsy jazz band A La Mode is featured in this week's Local Listen.

'Langston’s Lawrence' premieres at 6 p.m. on Friday, January 27, at the Watkins Museum of History, followed by a panel with Hughes scholars Randal Jelks, Edgar Tidwell, and Carmaletta Williams. An additional screening and discussion is scheduled for Wednesday, February 1 at the Lawrence Arts Center. Admission to both programs is free.

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As culture editor, I oversee KCUR’s coverage of race, culture, the arts, food and sports. I work with reporters to make sure our stories reflect the fullest view of the place we call home, so listeners and readers feel primed to explore the places, projects and people who make up a vibrant Kansas City. Email me at luke@kcur.org.