Joshua Bell, Emanuel Ax, Midori, Leslie Odom Jr., The Temptations to appear in 2019/20 season along with Film + Live Orchestra concerts of Mary Poppins, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and more
The Kansas City Symphony 2019/20 season is a blockbuster lineup with epic music, many superstars and timeless films for audiences of all ages.
The Symphony offers three main series: Classical, Pops and Family. The 2019/20 Classical Series will honor three major anniversaries — 250 years of Beethoven, Isaac Stern’s centennial and Michael Stern’s 15th year as Music Director.
“This new season is a celebration of music and musicians where we honor Beethoven’s 250th birthday and the 100th anniversary of Isaac Stern’s birth,” says Executive Director Frank Byrne. “While Isaac Stern deserves gratitude for the many ways he championed music, advocated for music education, mentored young musicians and fought for the arts, he also was a truly exceptional violinist. With his son, Michael, as our Music Director there is no orchestra in America better positioned to celebrate the life and accomplishments of this great man. With wonderful repertoire, exceptional soloists, brilliant guest conductors and creative pairings of music on each program, we can say with pride that the 2019/20 season shows Kansas City as a world-class destination for great orchestral music.”
The 14-concert Classical Series begins in September and runs through June 2020. The Classical Series is available in three options: Bravo Series (7 concerts), Ovation Series (7 concerts) or Masterworks Series (all 14 concerts). The 2019/20 season will mark Music Director Michael Stern’s 15th season this September and the Symphony’s ninth season in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
2019/20 CLASSICAL SERIES
Fourteen concert weekends: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays.
- Opening Weekend: Finlandia and Schumann’s Piano Concerto (Oct. 4-6)
- Brahms’ Fourth and Bach’s Fantasia (Oct. 25-27)
- Stern Conducts Bruckner’s Seventh (Nov. 1-3)
- Also Sprach Zarathustra (Nov. 22-24)
- Beethoven, Brahms and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto (Jan. 17-19, 2020)
- Ax Performs Beethoven (Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2020)
- Zukerman Plays Beethoven’s Violin Concerto (Feb. 7-9, 2020)
- Beethoven’s Mass in C (Feb. 28-March 1, 2020)
- Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto (March 20-22, 2020)
- Midori Plays Dvorak (April 3-5, 2020)
- Beethoven’s Fifth (April 17-19, 2020)
- Beethoven’s “Pastoral” (May 29-31, 2020)
- Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Tree of Dreams (June 5-7, 2020)
- Season Finale: Ode to Joy — Beethoven’s Ninth (June 19-21, 2020)
“Three anniversaries — 15, 100, 250 — come together for one very special season,” Stern says. “I’m thrilled to mark my 15th season as Music Director with two interwoven and wide-ranging themes, Isaac Stern’s centenary celebration, and the 250th anniversary of the birth of arguably the most influential composer of Western music, Ludwig van Beethoven.
“Beethoven’s place in our hearts and minds is forever assured,” Stern says. “This milestone year allows us to reexamine his music. And I’m grateful to share the celebration of my father with my extended Kansas City family. Aside from being one of the towering violinists of the 20th century, his advocacy for the arts as an agent of change, for music as a force for good, and for education resonates more powerfully today than ever before. He’d have been proud to see how the Kansas City Symphony has made the case for music in our city.
“We present iconic masterpieces from Mozart and Brahms to Bartók and Stravinsky,” Stern adds. “We’ll perform an overview of Beethoven’s works, including contemporary pieces inspired by Beethoven, a major concerto by Henri Dutilleux, and the world premieres of commissions by Jonathan Leshnoff and Daniel Kellogg. We’ve invited Peter Oundjian, Johannes Debus and Matthew Halls to guest conduct, adding to the Classical Series debut of our own Jason Seber. We’ll highlight the Symphony Chorus in three different programs. And, most happily, former students, colleagues, friends and musical partners of my father’s will grace our stage, from violinists such as Vadim Gluzman, Midori and Pinchas Zukerman, to cellist Jian Wang and pianist Emanuel Ax, to name just a few. As a bonus, violinist Joshua Bell will reprise his role and join us to accompany two screenings of ‘The Red Violin,’ which won an Academy® Award for Best Original Score. There’s truly something for everyone in this 2019/20 season.”
David T. Beals III Associate Conductor Jason Seber and guest conductors lead the 2019/20 Symphony Pops Series, which promises lots of fun.
2019/20 SYMPHONY POPS SERIES
Four concert weekends: 8 p.m. Fridays and 7 p.m. Saturdays (new time!). Additionally, three Sunday afternoons and one Thursday evening concert date available. Visit kcsymphony.org details.
- The Temptations with the Kansas City Symphony (Sept. 13-15)
- Chicago — the Musical in Concert (Jan. 24-26, 2020)
- The Music of ABBA (March 26-28, 2020)
- Frank and Ella, Together Again (May 15-17, 2020)
The Symphony Family Series is perfect for introducing children ages 4-13 to symphonic music, including the full-length Christmas Festival. Each child subscription is only $10 with the purchase of an adult subscription.
2019/20 SYMPHONY FAMILY SERIES
Four concert weekends: 2 p.m. Sundays
- Symphony in Space (Sept. 22)
- Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Nov. 10)
- Christmas Festival (Dec. 22)
- Classical Kids: Beethoven Lives Upstairs (March 8, 2020)
In addition to the core series, the Symphony presents special and holiday concerts each season. Subscribers can add these holiday and specials concerts on when buying 2019/20 season tickets. Single tickets for most concerts go on sale to the public in July.
SPECIAL CONCERTS
- Film + Live Orchestra — Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back™ in Concert (Sept. 4-6 and 8)
- Silent Film + Live Organ: The Phantom of the Opera (Oct. 29)
- A Tribute to Tom Petty (Nov. 16)
- Film + Live Orchestra — Mary Poppins in Concert (Nov. 27-29, 2020)
- Film + Live Orchestra — Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in Concert (Jan. 10-12, 2020)
- Valentine’s Day Weekend with Leslie Odom Jr. (Feb. 15-16, 2020)
- Michael Bolton with the Kansas City Symphony: The Symphony Sessions (April 24, 2020)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ in Concert (May 7-10, 2020)
- Film + Live Orchestra — The Red Violin in Concert featuring Joshua Bell (May 13-14, 2020)
HOLIDAY CONCERTS
- Handel’s Messiah (Dec. 6-8)
- Christmas Festival (Dec. 20-23)
The Symphony will announce the rest of the 2019/20 concerts, such as Classics Uncorked and the free Happy Hour Series concerts, closer to July when single tickets become available.
April 1 is the deadline to renew or purchase a new subscription for the 2019/20 season. Symphony subscribers can secure the best seats at the best prices and receive free exchanges for most concerts. Subscribers also receive discounts on additional ticket purchases.
Classical Series season ticket holders who subscribe by April 1 will receive a “Share the Symphony” voucher good for two free tickets to a select Kansas City Symphony 2018/19 Classical Series concert. Some of the top subscriber benefits include access to the best reserved seats at the best prices offered, free exchanges, subscriber discounts, reserving parking in advance, opportunities to buy special concert events before the public, and much more.
To renew or learn more about becoming a Kansas City Symphony season subscriber, visit kcsymphony.org or call the Symphony Box Office at (816) 471-0400.
VIEW THE 2019/20 SEASON BROCHURE.
HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. J.K. ROWLING’S WIZARDING WORLD™ J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s19)
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