Kansas City Symphony to present preview of European Tour concerts in Kansas City on August 21 at the Kauffman Center

KANSAS CITY, Mo. | July 23, 2024 — In coordination with the Kansas City Symphony’s first-ever European concert tour in late August 2024, the orchestra will present selections from the tour in Kansas City on Wednesday, August 21 at 7 p.m. This European Tour Send-Off Concert will take place in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway in Downtown Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are now available at kcsymphony.org, or by calling (816) 471-0400. The Kansas City concert program is as follows:

CHARLES IVES “Decoration Day” and “Fourth of July” from New England Holidays
GEORGE GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue
AARON COPLAND Symphony No. 3

The tour marks a significant milestone in the orchestra’s 42-year history. Led by the Symphony's incoming Music Director, Matthias Pintscher, the Symphony is being presented by Amsterdam’s storied Concertgebouw, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, and one of the most prominent music festivals in Europe – Musikfest Berlin at the Berlin Philharmonie, August 26-29.

Before performing in three of the top halls in Europe, the orchestra will showcase a uniquely American program for its Kansas City audiences. “We will showcase delightful and important music that has shaped our identity as musicians and put our artistic versatility in the spotlight,” commented Matthias Pintscher. “We are eager to preview our inaugural European tour for our fans in Kansas City before travelling across the Atlantic.”

Detailed preparations are under way for the tour. Accommodations and transportation for nearly 100 orchestra and staff members are booked, and plans to ship all necessary instruments and gear have been made. KC Symphony President and CEO Danny Beckley adds, "We aim to bring concerts to Europe radiating from the heart of America. Kansas City, a significant cultural destination, takes pride in having built an orchestra representing our thriving metropolitan city on the world stage. We want to celebrate this opportunity by presenting a preview of the concerts for our supporters and audiences in Kansas City, who have helped make this European opportunity possible."

About Matthias Pintscher, Music Director

Matthias Pintscher, Music Director of the Kansas City Symphony, brings a wealth of experience and artistry to his role. Having concluded a decade-long tenure as the Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pintscher has demonstrated his commitment to contemporary music. His dual role as conductor and composer has earned him recognition globally, with his works featured in major symphony orchestras worldwide. The 2023-24 season marks his fourth year as Creative Partner at the Cincinnati Symphony, further solidifying his impact on the world of classical music.

About Danny Beckley, President & CEO

Danny Beckley has led the Kansas City Symphony for six years. Fueled by a lifelong motivation to bring the power of live orchestral music to more audiences, Beckley has guided the organization through key milestones and growth. Under Beckley’s leadership, the organization launched and completed a major transition in artistic leadership invented the popular community-centered Mobile Music Box, and vastly expanded their concert offerings. A lifelong musician, tech entrepreneur, and educator, Beckley brings a unique passion, pace and energy to support and drive the orchestra’s musical impact on the community.

About the Kansas City Symphony

In only its 42nd season, the Kansas City Symphony has already become one of the America’s most vibrant major orchestras, continually creating and advancing live music experiences at Helzberg Hall, located in the prestigious Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City. The Symphony’s 80 full-time musicians from around the world live, work, teach and play in our community.

The new season includes an unprecedented 45% expansion in concert offerings. This summer, the orchestra represents Kansas City in their first-ever European tour, accepting invitations to perform at Concertgebouw, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, and as one of two American orchestras featured at the 2024 Musikfest Berlin.

Pintscher and Beckley are leading the organization in a creative renaissance, to bring orchestral music to the people of Kansas City and beyond. In addition to performances of great symphonies, concerti, and other orchestral forms, the orchestra is launching a series Symphonic Piazza, a new social concert experience built around performances of seminal works in the symphonic repertoire. The orchestra is also creating intimate chamber performances, in the series On Stage, and will be announcing theatrical and immersive performance offerings as well.

In addition to classical repertoire, the orchestra presents and creates music across genres, including collaborations ranging from Broadway to Hip Hop. The orchestra frequently presents blockbuster and classic movies, replacing the recorded musical soundtrack with a live orchestra. In addition to these and many other performances in the concert hall, KCS musicians perform throughout the community on the ever-popular Mobile Music Box, which reaches tens of thousands of people in performances in parks and neighborhoods each year.

The Kansas City Symphony is committed to bringing music into people’s lives, as a cultural gem belonging to all in Kansas City. Discover more at kcsymphony.org.