As an arts patron, you understand the value of the performing arts because you have experienced these benefits firsthand! We appreciate your support as a ticket buyer and value your patronage. Have you considered ways to deepen your impact? Harriman-Jewell Series donors just like you make it possible for us to showcase great artistry to Kansas City. You can be a part of:
QUALITY
the world’s finest artists
DONOR LEVELS AND BENEFITS
Our Kinetic 2023–2024 Season
4 Outstanding Orchestras
2 American Recital Debuts
DIVERSITY artists and ensembles of all backgrounds and genres
DISCOVERY rising-star performers
2 Very Special Engagements
4 Free Discovery Concerts
SOCIETY OF PATRONS / Gifts over $1,000
Includes benefits of Society of Friends plus:
• Customizable underwriting opportunities, including additional marketing and recognition benefits
• Two invitations to an annual Patrons Reception
• Invitations for Harriman-Jewell Series insider events and artist meet-and-greet opportunities
• AND MUCH MORE!
NO GIFT IS TOO SMALL – OR TOO LARGE!
For a gift above $10,000, exclusive insider benefits are tailored to individual support.
ARE YOU A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL?
Join our Young Friends of the Series for a $5 monthly gift/$60 annual membership to access YFS members-only perks, social and networking events, and more!
SOCIETY OF FRIENDS / $50 to $999
• Name recognition in performance programs
• Two invitations to annual Friends Reception
• Access to single-ticket presale ahead of the public
• Concierge ticketing experience and exclusive event access
Mahani Teave, piano Free Discovery Concert
American Recital Debut
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Folly Theater
7:00 PM
Hilary Hahn, violin
Friday, October 13, 2023
Folly Theater
7:00 PM
6
Disney Pixar’s Coco performed with 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México
Friday, November 3, 2023
Folly Theater
7:00 PM
Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin Free Discovery Concert
Friday, November 10, 2023
Atkins Auditorium at Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
7:00 PM
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis
Friday, October 20, 2023
Folly Theater
7:00 PM
Minería Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, Carlos Miguel Prieto, music director, and Gabriela Montero, piano
Monday, October 23, 2023
Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
7:00 PM
This year’s MUSIC AND DANCE package will offer something for everyone. From full scale orchestras to a dance performance that pays tribute to the memory of Kansas City’s own Burt Bacharach, we’ll showcase some of the finest artists in the world who’ll make their way back to our Kansas City stages and many for the first time!
Minería Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, Carlos Miguel Prieto, music director, and Gabriela Montero, piano Mark Morris Dance Company NoGravity performing Divine Comedy • Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano • National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine with conductor Volodymyr Sirenko and soloist Natalia Khoma, cello • Step Afrika!
Mark Morris Dance Group performing The Look of Love featuring the music of Burt Bacharach
Friday, November 17, 2023
Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
7:30 PM
Juan Diego Flórez, tenor
Sunday, November 26, 2023
Folly Theater
3:00 PM
PACKAGE OF 6
FOLLY THEATER
We are thrilled to bring our 25th and 26th American recital debuts in our 59th Season and one is included in this powerhouse package! A distinguished violinist, one of the world’s most beloved opera tenors, two incredible pianists and the sounds of big band jazz all return this season to bring absolute joy to our audiences.
Hilary Hahn, violin Jazz at Lincoln Center featuring Wynton Marsalis • Juan Diego Flórez, tenor • Simone Dinnerstein, piano Ema Nikolovska, mezzo-soproano, 26th American Recital Debut Emanuel Ax, piano
We’re excited to announce our 2023–2024 Season - our 59th Season of bringing the best of the performing arts to our Kansas City audiences! Once again, we’ll welcome leading artists and ensembles from around the world, with even more programming that showcases the four tenets of our foundation – quality, variety, diversity, and discovery. Whether making their 10th appearance or their debut performance with us, welcoming these inspiring artists at the pinnacle of their careers to our highly acclaimed concert halls in Kansas City is always a true joy for us.
Our 59th Season will feature 18 inspired performances; including 2 American recital debuts, 8 Series debuts, 4 outstanding orchestras, 2 very special engagements, and incredible music from over 90 composers.
Every season is memorable to us, and we hope you’ll find many reasons for this upcoming season to be meaningful for you as well. In addition to our full schedule of performances, we’ll offer a very special engagement that will be perfect for our single ticket patrons and families alike – the beloved Disney Pixar’s Coco in Concert which has been reimagined by its original Oscar® and Grammy® winning composer Michael Giacchino and features a screening of the complete film with Giacchino’s musical score performed live by the 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México. We’re thrilled to welcome this new format in programming and hope you’ll love it too!
NoGravity performing Divine Comedy
Friday, January 12, 2024
Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
7:30 PM
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
7:00 PM
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Folly Theater
7:00 PM
DISCOVERY CONCERTS
4 FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS
FOLLY THEATER / ATKINS AUDITORIUM
This season brings 4 incredible opportunities to experience classical and live musical performances for you and your family. Free tickets are available 60 days prior to concert dates and free parking is also included. More information available closer to performance dates at hjseries.org.
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine with conductor Volodymyr Sirenko and soloist Natalia Khoma, cello
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
7:00 PM
Ema Nikolovska, mezzo-soprano American Recital Debut
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Folly Theater
7:00 PM
Step Afrika!
Friday, April 5, 2024 Folly Theater 7:00 PM
Mahani Teave, piano, 25th American Recital Debut Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin • Chelsea Guo, soprano and piano, and Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone • Santiago Cañón-Valencia, cello
2 EVENTS
FOLLY THEATER
GRACE AND HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL
Two incredible special engagements are part of our Season 59! The beloved Disney Pixar’s classic has been reimagined by its original Oscar® and Grammy® winning composer Michael Giacchino and will feature a screening of the film along with a 20-member Latin orchestra.
Chelsea Guo, soprano and piano, and Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone Free Discovery Concert
Spring 2024
Folly Theater
Santiago CañónValencia, cello Free Discovery Concert
Spring 2024
Folly Theater
This new format in programming arrives just in time to celebrate the Mexican holiday of remembrance, the Day of the Dead. Our holiday concert features a reimagined nativity oratorio that features many of the greatest opera voices to emerge in our generation, along with a small chamber orchestra and star conductor.
Disney Pixar’s Coco in CONCERT with 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered An American Modern Opera Company Production
We’ll also celebrate another thrilling milestone for the Series when we present two American recital debuts this season! Our 25th will feature Award-winning pianist and humanitarian Mahani Teave. As the only professional classical musician on her native Easter Island, she is a pioneering artist who bridges the creative world with education and environmental activism. She has been featured on Good Morning America to highlight the island’s first music school, Toki Rapa Nui, a self-sustaining ecological wonder which also teaches children about renewable natural resources and their quickly fading cultural heritage. Then, we’ll welcome Macedonian-Canadian mezzosoprano, Ema Nikolovska as our 26th American recital debut artist. Already a mainstay on world opera stages, this will be the first time American audiences will get to hear this once-in-a-generation voice in recital.
As we look forward to yet another outstanding season ahead, we’d like to take the time to personally thank you. Your patronage and support means so very much to us. Your cheers, hand claps and excitement at performances keeps us moving forward. Whether renewing your full subscription, adding on our special engagements, attending a free Discovery Concert, or buying just a single ticket, you let us know you are invested in the experiences we are bringing to you. And for that, we are grateful.
As we head into our 59th Season, and begin feeling the excitement all over again, we hope you’ll make plans to join us in the beautiful concert halls of Kansas City!
DirectorWe’ve made plans for another great season of outstanding performances and we can’t wait for you to join us!Clark W. Morris Executive and Artistic The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation is the sponsor of our 59th Season. Emanuel Ax, piano Sunday, April 7, 2024 Folly Theater
In the early 1960s, college professors Richard Harriman and Dean Dunham sat in their shared office and wondered how to offer meaningful, cultural opportunities to the Kansas City community. Neither of them had professional music backgrounds, or artistic connections, but they shared a true appreciation for the performing arts and knew there was a void in the community. The Midwest had ceased to be a stop on national tours for international artists, and this sparked an idea – how could they create a way to showcase extraordinary artists and ensembles for our local community to brighten Kansas City’s stages once again?
Flash forward a few years and on December 3, 1965, New York City ballet stars Edward Villella and Patricia McBride were the very first performers presented by the Series, then known as the Fine Arts Program at William Jewell College. This first performance would mark the beginning of 59 seasons and counting of artistic history.
From these very early days, the Harriman-Jewell Series has served as the leading performing arts presenter in the Kansas City area, bringing artists of legendary skill to thousands of audience members from across the region.
It is with true appreciation, that we welcome you back to this next season of incredible performances.
Award-winning pianist and humanitarian Mahani Teave is a pioneering artist who bridges the creative world with education and environmental activism, and the only professional classical musician on her native Easter Island.
Her debut album, Rapa Nui Odyssey, was number one on the Billboard charts and received raves from critics, including BBC Music Magazine, which noted her “natural pianism” and “magnificent artistry.”
Her inspirational story was chronicled by 15-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker John Forsen in a new documentary, Song of Rapa Nui, available globally on Amazon Prime Video. At 30, on the cusp of a
Breadth and grandeur… heroic rhetoric and caressing lyricism…exquisitely poised… genuine eloquence. As fulfilling and enriching the musical culture of Rapa Nui surely must be, one hopes that Mahani Teave will somehow find a way to share her beautifully wrought, heartfelt pianist with audiences beyond her remote island.” – Gramophone
Saturday, September 9, 2023, 7 PM
Folly Theater
Generously sponsored by: Charles and Virginia Clark
burgeoning career, she decided to return home to found her island’s first music school, Toki Rapa Nui, a self-sustaining ecological wonder which also teaches children about renewable natural resources and their quickly-fading cultural heritage.
Mahani Teave joins us from her native Easter Island for the Series’ 25th American Recital Debut.
Friday, October 13, 2023, 7 PM Folly Theater
Generously sponsored by: The Board of Advisors of the Harriman-Jewell Series
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis comprises 15 of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today. Led by Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director, this remarkably versatile orchestra performs a vast repertoire ranging from original compositions and Jazz at Lincoln Center-commissioned works to rare historic compositions and masterworks by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman and many others.
Marsalis, world-renowned trumpeter and composer, has won nine Grammy® Awards and was the first jazz artist to be awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in music. He is also an internationally respected teacher and spokesman for music education. Marsalis helped lead the effort to construct Jazz at Lincoln Center’s home – Frederick P. Rose Hall – the first education, performance, and broadcast facility devoted to jazz, which opened in 1984.
Jazz at Lincoln Center, a Series favorite with more than 10 appearances to date, returns with a program that will keep you grooving all through the night!
Three-time Grammy® Award-winning violinist
Hilary Hahn melds expressive musicality and technical expertise with a diverse repertoire guided by artistic curiosity. Her barrier-breaking attitude towards classical music, and her commitment to sharing her experiences with a global community, have made her a fan favorite. Hahn is a prolific recording artist and commissioner of new works, and her 22 feature recordings have received every critical prize in the international press.
A strong advocate for new music, Hahn has championed and commissioned works by a diverse array of contemporary composers. In the 2018-19 season, before her season-long sabbatical in 2019-20, she premiered two new works written for her: Two Serenades and Lera Auerbach’s
Sonata No. 4: Fractured Dreams The season was bookended by another major release: her most recent solo commission, 6 Partitas by the late Antón García Abril. García Abril, Auerbach, and Rautavaara had been contributing composers for In 27 Pieces: the Hilary Hahn Encores, Hahn’s Grammy® Award-winning multi-year commissioning project to revitalize the duo encore genre.
Hahn first appeared on the Series nearly two decades ago, making her debut performance in 2004. She returns with a program of works for unaccompanied violin by Bach and from her celebrated commissioning project of new encores.
Friday, October 20, 2023, 7 PM Folly Theater
Generously sponsored by: Roswitha and Ken Schaffer
Musical America’s 2019 Conductor of the Year Carlos Miguel Prieto makes a triumphant return to Kansas City stages with pianist Gabriela Montero and the Minería Symphony Orchestra of Mexico this season. The program includes Montero’s own piano concerto The Latin Concerto Silvestre Revueltas’ massive work for expanded orchestra Night of the Mayas, a new piece by Gabriela Ortiz and Carlos Chávez’s Symphony No. 2.
Widely regarded as a leading ensemble and musical institution in Mexico, the Minería Symphony Orchestra of Mexico remains at the musical forefront through eclectic programming, collaborations with renowned soloists and composers, and staunch advocacy of community and educational development.
Carlos Miguel Prieto—recognized as the leading Mexican conductor of his generation—is
characterized by his dynamism and the expressivity of his interpretations. He has appeared with elite orchestras that include Chicago, Cleveland, Seattle, Oregon, Toronto, and Vancouver symphony orchestras.
“
Gabriela Montero’s visionary interpretations and unique compositional gifts have garnered her critical acclaim and a devoted following on the world stage. Celebrated for her exceptional musicality and ability to improvise, Montero has performed with dozens of the world’s leading orchestras.
…Montero is the queen of improvision. Classically trained, Montero was born with a gift that the classical establishment has largely shunned since the days of Franz List—creating music in front of an audience.”
– The Associated Press
The beloved Disney Pixar’s Coco in Concert has been reimagined by its original Oscar® and Grammy® winning composer Michael Giacchino and features a screening of the complete film with Giacchino’s musical score performed by the 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México. In addition to the original score by Giancchino, Coco also features the Oscar® winning song “Remember Me” by Oscar-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and additional songs co-written by Germaine Franco and co-director and screenwriter Adrian Molina.
About the Movie: Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a
Friday, November 3, 2023, 7 PM Folly Theater
Generously sponsored by: Marcia S. Karbank Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation
mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Héctor (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
This will be a Special Engagement in Season 59. Tickets may be added on to your current subscription or purchased as single tickets as part of a package.
Winner of a Naumburg International Violin Competition Honorarium Prize and featured in the Smithsonian Museum for African American History, Kelly Hall-Tompkins is a violin soloist entrepreneur who has been acclaimed by the New York Times as “the versatile violinist who makes the music come alive,” for her “tonal mastery” (BBC Music Magazine) and as The New York Times “New Yorker of the Year.”
She was “Fiddler”/Violin Soloist of the Grammy®/Tony-nominated Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. Inspired by her experience, she commissioned and developed the first ever Fiddler solo disc of all new arrangements, The Fiddler Expanding Tradition which is featured in the new documentary Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles on the 55-year history of the musical.
As founder of Music Kitchen-Food for the Soul, Kelly Hall-Tompkins is a pioneer of social justice in classical music, bringing top artists in over 100 concerts coast to coast in homeless shelters from New York to Los Angeles and internationally in Paris, France.
Hall-Tompkins makes her Kansas City debut fresh off her acclaimed portrayal of the Fiddler from Broadway’s revival of Fiddler on the Roof with her ensemble of accordion, guitar, and bass.
Friday, November 10, 2023, 7 PM Atkins Auditorium at Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Following the roaring success of his Beatles tribute Pepperland, Mark Morris teams up again with musical collaborator Ethan Iverson for The Look of Love a wistful and heartfelt homage to the chart-topping songs of Burt Bacharach. A towering figure of popular music, Bacharach was known for his soaring melodies and unique orchestrations influenced by jazz, rock, and Brazilian music — his longtime lyricist Hal David providing unsentimental, poignant lyrics.
This evening-length work features original choreography by Morris and new musical arrangements by Iverson, performed by an ensemble of piano, trumpet, bass, and drums, with singer, actress, and Broadway star Marcy Harriell on lead vocals.
The Look of Love is a Series co-commissioned work. We are honored that the late Kansas City-icon Bacharach (May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) himself was involved with the project and was thrilled to witness its unique treatment of his beloved catalog of songs, including:
Message to Michael, Anyone Who Had a Heart, Walk on By, Are You There (With Another Girl), A Say A Little Prayer, Do You Know the Way to San Jose, Always Something There to Remind Me, I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, What the World Needs Now, Don’t Make Me Over, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, Alfie, The Look of Love, The Blob.
Friday, November 17, 2023, 7:30 PM Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Generously sponsored by: The Curry Family Foundation
“ For many years, I’ve wanted to see my music reimagined in some kind of theatrical production – not just a jukebox musical formula of songs, but an original work with its own story and appeal. I’ve found an ideal collaborator in Mark Morris, whose brilliant choreography and deep musicality give songs new meaning and dimension through movement. Like a great melody, his dances evoke an atmosphere and inspire feelings, and I think that’s just what the world needs now. I’m excited to see how Morris and his creative team bring my songs to the stage in The Look of Love.” — Burt Bacharach
Sunday, November 26, 2023, 3 PM Folly Theater
Generously sponsored by:
The Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts Commerce Bank, Trustee
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered is a nativity opera-oratorio that was first performed at The Met Cloisters in 2018 in the beautiful San Martín at Fuentidueña chapel. The New York Times called it “intimate, affecting and quietly rich with activism.” The piece, which celebrates Latin American poets and the voices of women, focuses on Mary’s thoughts through the early life of Jesus with texts drawn from the Bible and a myriad of other sacred and secular texts reimagined in this chamber format to hear this story like never before.
Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez is recognized as one of the most admired singers of our time. Hailed for his signature virtuosity, unparalleled lyrical elegance, dashing stage presence, and boundless charm, he returns to Kansas City and the Series after nearly a decade. His much-anticipated solo recital will include opera arias, art songs, and other audience favorites. This dynamic performer of the opera stage is loved by audiences around the globe. You’ll find out why Opera News likened his voice to “the engine in a Porsche 911; when you hear it, you know you’re in the presence of something finely tuned and luxurious.”
Though he’s best known as one of the leading operatic tenors of his generation, Juan Diego Flórez also serves as an ambassador for his country and its culture. Along with starring in operas presented by the world’s most prestigious theaters, Flórez has
dedicated himself to promoting the music of Peru and helping its younger citizens to thrive. In 2011, he established Sinfonía por el Perú, which he calls “my most beloved activity and project.” The nonprofit group seeks to transform the lives of thousands of underprivileged Peruvian children through musical education.
Juan Diego Flórez, the Peruvian tenor, had the audience exploding in joy. The audience was entirely right...The tenor was in excellent, excellent voice.”
The cast of this Christmas oratorio features soprano Julia Bullock, guest artists mezzo-soprano Jasmin White, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and bass-baritone Davóne Tines. This special performance, features a chamber orchestra and will be conducted by rising star Christian Reif, and sung in English, Spanish, and Latin.
A rarely performed work, El Niño “ruminates on the notion that with the promise of new life, there is the equal threat of inexplicable violence and sacrifice,” said Bullock, “one of opera’s fastest-rising stars” (Vanity Fair), who curated the selections being performed.
“ THE INGRAM EVENTS SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS
“El Niño is one of my favorite pieces of music,” said Ms. Bullock. “It’s one of John and Peter’s greatest collaborations and explores the central themes of the nativity – miracles, the unique relationship between mother and child, and gift giving. The reason to develop this distilled rendering of El Niño with John’s and Peter’s blessing was to enable more people to experience this extraordinary work.”
Monday, December 11, 2023, 7 PM Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
Generously sponsored by: The Ingram Family Foundation
Innovative Italian choreographer Emilliano Pellisari creates a jaw-dropping spectacle of dance inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. Playing with perspective, reflection, and distortion, Pellisari’s surrealist vision boggles the mind and eye as the audience slowly descends into the Inferno.
The women and men, terrestrial and divine, mortal and immortal, narrated by Dante in his Divine Comedy, are not bodies. But minds, memories, visions, wishes, ideas: they are souls. And souls have no weight.
This physical and poetic insight is the basic point from which Emiliano Pellisari’s choreography takes, literally, its flight.
Thanks to the recovery of stage and deceiving techniques typical of the Baroque theatre, his dancers, acrobats and actors make quite credible, part after part, this reconstruction of Dante’s journey. From Inferno (Hell) towards Paradiso (Heaven)
The renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra returns with soloist Isata Kanneh-Mason, who made her Kansas City recital debut in 2022 with the Series.
As a respected cultural ambassador, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra enjoys a busy schedule of international touring, performing in the world’s great concert halls and prestigious international festivals. They are recognized as being the UK’s most in-demand orchestra and count passion, versatility and uncompromising artistic standards as hallmarks and are celebrated as one the world’s most openminded, forward-thinking and accessible symphony orchestras.
the way is over and over dematerialized: all references, never realistic, yet recognizable at first in the incidents and the various characters of the Poem, gradually become less obvious. And at the same time, more and more in focus is the visual heart of entertainment, into the understanding and restitution of the progressive loss of Dante himself, in the prevalence of an astonished spiritual feeling, in a suspended and white lightness.
“ANGELS and DEVILS clash in spectacular duels. ACROBATIC lights, flying actors, SOULS that fall like leaves in autumn…
It could be the description of a painting by Hescher or Bosch, but it’s an EMILIANO PELLISARI’ show.” - La Repubblica
Friday, January 12, 2024, 7:30 PM
Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Generously sponsored by: Mrs. Gretchen Jacobson
In great demand internationally as a soloist and chamber musician, KannehMason was an ECHO Rising Star in 21/22, performing in many of Europe’s finest halls and is also the recipient of the coveted Leonard Bernstein Award and an Opus Klassik award for best young artist. Her debut album on Decca Classics, Romance – the Piano Music of Clara Schumann, drew popular and critical acclaim, entering the UK classical charts at No. 1.
Kanneh-Mason plays Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and the orchestra closes the program with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2.
Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 7 PM
Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Generously sponsored by: Jackie and John Middelkamp
“ THE INGRAM EVENTS
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein makes her Series debut with the first multi-media production she has conceived, created, and directed, which uses as source materials her father Simon Dinnerstein’s painting The Fulbright Triptych and Charles Ives’s Piano Sonata No. 2 (Concord). The program consists of live performance visuals, camera work, and paintings to heighten Ives’ demanding Concord Sonata. Dinnerstein’s program seeks to highlight the connections between Ives and the Transcendentalists.
The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine has long been one of the most distinguished European orchestras, achieving worldwide recognition through its many international tours which include Australia, the US, Europe and Asia.
Dinnerstein has played with orchestras ranging from the New York Philharmonic and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra to the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Rai. She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Seoul Arts Center and the Sydney Opera House. She has made thirteen albums, all of which topped the Billboard classical charts, with repertoire ranging from Couperin to Glass.
Internationally renowned cellist, Natalia Khoma, has been hailed around the world as “technically dazzling”, “intense, brilliant, and with perfect structure”. Khoma solos with the returning NSO Ukraine who perform a program of Ukrainian composers and Sibelius’ Third Symphony. This tour is an important showcase of the ensemble’s artistry and war-torn perseverance through selections from occupied nations.
Program:
Dmitry Bortniansky: Sinfonia Concertante in B flat Major (1790)
Robert Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 (Khoma) Jean Sibelius Symphony No 3 in C major, Op. 52
Sunday, February 18, 2024, 7 PM Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Generously sponsored by: The Karbank Family Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation
Saturday, February 3, 2024, 7 PM Folly Theater
Generously sponsored by: Sanders and Blanche Sosland Music Fund
26th American Recital Debut
Macedonian-Canadian mezzo-soprano, Ema Nikolovska makes her American recital debut with the Series in 2024. Already a mainstay on world opera stages, this will be the first time American audiences get to hear this once-in-a-generation voice in recital.
Nikolovska was the winner of the 2022 BBT Award, and has been a BBC New Generation Artist (2019-2022). In 2019 she won first prize at the International Vocal Competition in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Ferrier Loveday Song Prize (Kathleen Ferrier Awards), and was a prize-winner at the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) International Auditions.
A prolific recitalist, in the last year Ema performed at the Pierre Boulez Saal, and Konzerthaus Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Schubertíada Vilabertran, Leeds Lieder, Aldeburgh, Verbier, Gstaad and Toronto Summer Music Festivals, collaborating with Malcolm Martineau, Wolfram Rieger, Andras Schiff, Graham Johnson, and Joseph Middleton, among many others.
We’re excited to welcome Ema Nikolovska in our 59th Season for the Series’ 26th American Recital Debut.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 7 PM Folly Theater
Generously sponsored by: George Helmkamp
Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Under Mr. Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports, touring more than 60 countries across the globe, the Company now ranks as one of the top ten African American dance companies in the United States.
Step Afrika! has earned Mayor’s Arts Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Innovation in the Arts, and Excellence in an Artistic Discipline. The Company is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive exhibit.
Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor
and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.
Williams,
Returning Series favorite Emanuel Ax commands the stage each time he sits down at the piano. One of the most respected and awarded pianists of all time, his performance will mark over ten times Manny has graced the Series with his unforgettable interpretations.
Friday, April 5, 2024, 7 PM Folly Theater
Generously sponsored by: The Richard Harriman Fund for Excellence in the Arts
Sunday, April 7, 2024, 3 PM Folly Theater
Generously sponsored by: The William T. Kemper Foundation Commerce Bank, Trustee
His greatness, his overwhelming authority as musician, technician and probing intellect emerges quickly as he plays. Within minutes, we are totally captured by his intensity and pianistic achievement.” – Los Angeles Times
He has received Grammy® Awards for the second and third volumes of his cycle of Haydn’s piano sonatas. He has also made a series of Grammy®-winning recordings with cellist Yo-Yo Ma of the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas for cello and piano. In the
2004/05 season Mr. Ax contributed to an International EMMY® Award-Winning BBC documentary commemorating the Holocaust that aired on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In 2013, Mr. Ax’s recording Variations received the Echo Klassik Award for Solo Recording of the Year (19th Century Music/Piano).
Mr. Ax is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds honorary doctorates of music from Skidmore College, New England Conservatory of Music, Yale University, and Columbia University.
An artist who has already attracted international attention as a pianist and soprano of remarkable gifts, her dual artistry is featured in her 2021 debut recording on the Orchid Classics label, Chelsea Guo: Chopin in My Voice, which includes beloved Chopin solo repertoire, along with two Chopin songs and one Rossini aria in which the artist accompanies herself.
“
A very fine pianist with a beguiling voice; here is rare talent.”
– BBC Magazine
Gramophone Magazine included the recording in their Essential New Albums and Classic FM featured Chelsea for an entire week as a “Young Classical Star.”
Winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, Joseph Parrish is a Baltimore native and holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School.
As a current artist diploma candidate in opera studies at the Juilliard School, Mr. Parrish is passionate about giving back to the various communities that have nurtured him. He is a Music Advancement Program chorus teaching fellow, Gluck Community Service Fellow, and Morse Teaching Artist. Mr. Parrish is also a member of the inaugural cohort of Shared Voices, an initiative designed to address diversity, equity, and inclusion through collaboration between Historically Black Colleges and Universities, top conservatories, and schools of music in the United States with the Denyce Graves Foundation.
Santiago Cañón-Valencia has been praised as one of the most promising young cellists of his generation. A 2022 BBC Next Generation Artist and Winner of the Silver Medal and “Audience Favorite” Award at the 2019 XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition, Mr. Cañón-Valencia has been a fixture of the International Cello Competition for many years.
Awarded third prize at the prestigious Queen Elizabeth International Competition 2017 in Brussels, he is also a 2018 Starker Foundation Award recipient as well as a First Prize winner of the Carlos Prieto International Cello Competition, Beijing International Music Competition, Gisborne International Music Competition, and Lennox International Young Artists Competition.
Cañón-Valencia’s recital in Kansas City is in collaboration with Harmony Project KC.
Order online at hjseries.org or call 816.415.5025 and tell us which packages you want and where you prefer to sit.
After celebrating our 1,000th performance last season, it’s exciting to imagine where the Series will go from here and what incredible artistic performances are on the horizon. Since 1965, we’ve been bringing the best of the performing arts to Kansas City audiences, keeping the four core tenets at the forefront of programming – Quality, Variety, Diversity, and Discovery.
816.415.5997
Eryn Bates Kemp Associate Executive Director batese@hjseries.org 816.415.7814
Melissa Carter Director of Audience Engagement carterme@hjseries.org 816.415.5981
Owen Craig Ticketing Services Manager craigo@hjseries.org 816.415.5998
Molly Day Development and Finance Manager daym@hjseries.org 816.415.7876
Tracy Ingle Director of Marketing and Public Relations inglet@hjseries.org 816.415.7895
Each season is unlike any other. From global artists who are at the pinnacle of their performance careers, to concerts never-before performed on a Kansas City stage, to events that showcase a wide range of diversity and talent, to new emerging artists who are just getting started – we cover them all.
This season will bring two more American Recital Debuts to our Kansas City stages, making the 25th and 26th debuts in the Series’ history respectively. Award-winning pianist Mahani Teave joins us from her native Easter Island, and Macedonian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska will join this distinguished list of performers, which includes the legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti who made his American Recital Debut with the Series in 1973.
In addition to these two American Recital Debuts, we’ll welcome eight more artists who will make their Series or Kansas City debuts with us in Season 59 including violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, and Discovery Concert artists Chelsea Guo, soprano and piano, Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone, and Santiago Cañón-Valencia, cello. Almost half of our artists in Season 59 will make their Kansas City debuts with us!
A new format in programming this season will bring the beloved Disney Pixar’s Coco in Concert, perfect for families and single-ticket patrons alike. A full screening of the film will be accompanied by the 20-member Latin ensemble Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México performing the original musical score just in time to celebrate the Day of Dead, also referred to as el Día de los Muertos.
Legendary artists Juan Diego Flórez, one of the most admired operatic tenors of our time, and Grammy® Award-winner and Series favorite Emanuel Ax make their return this season along with brand new, dynamic performances from Step Afrika! and Mark Morris Dance Group performing The Look of Love featuring the music of Kansas City icon, the late Burt Bacharach. NoGravity performs Divine Comedy which will not only captivate the audience, it will literally boggle the mind with spectacular feats of technical choreography that will keep you on the edge of your seat. And we are thrilled to bring American Modern Opera Company’s El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered a nativity opera-oratorio, just in time for the holidays and performed in the intimate setting of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Heading into our 59th season, looking ahead to our 60th anniversary on the horizon, we invite you to join us again for another spectacular ride as we welcome you to the beautiful concert halls of Kansas City!
Seating options are based on the date of your order; donors and renewing subscribers are given priority for seat locations. All fees are included in package pricing. Patrons who order the complete series will receive advance tickets to Discovery Concerts with your order. Subscribers receive first opportunity for seating at Special Engagements (Disney Pixar’s Coco in Concert and El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered) this season before the general public. Single tickets go on sale Monday, July 31, 2023.
Harriman-Jewell Series 500 College Hill, Campus Box 1015 Liberty, Missouri 64068-1896
info@hjseries.org
(p) 816.415.5025 hjseries.org @hjseries
