KC arts scene: German culture downtown, Midwest Trust season, opera goes Hollywood
“Everything ephemeral is but a metaphor,” wrote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his epic poem “Faust.” The Goethe Pop Up, named after the German genius, which popped up at 1914 Main St. in 2018, is certainly ephemeral, intended to be a temporary exhibit of contemporary German culture.
Kansas City was chosen by the renowned Goethe Institute of Germany as one of three locations in America for a Goethe Pop Up, along with Seattle and Houston. As the name indicates, Kansas City’s pop-up was intended to have a brief existence and was originally scheduled to close at the end of the year. But good news for those who haven’t yet had a chance to take advantage of its cultural opportunities: It recently learned its funding has been extended and will now continue through June 30.
But what the heck is a Goethe Pop Up?
“We’re a branch of the Goethe Institute, which is a cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany,” said Rima Girnius, program director for Kansas City’s pop-up. “The Goethe Institute was founded in August 1951 in an effort to transmit a much more positive image of German culture after World War II, when Germany lost a lot of its international credibility due to the war and the crimes committed by the Nazis.”
Today, the Goethe Institute maintains 159 locations in 98 countries. There are six permanent locations in the United States, most of which are on the East and West coasts. But they’ve also established temporary pop-ups as part of a year-long celebration of German-American friendship called “Wunderbar Together” that was to last through the end of 2019.
Girnius says the mission of the pop-up is to introduce Kansas City to contemporary German art and culture, as well as current intellectual trends and social issues that are relevant to Germans today.
“So we organize and sponsor a broad range of events like art exhibitions, musical performances, film screenings, author readings and discussions, both in our space and online,” Girnius said. “But the main goal is to promote intercultural dialogue by collaborating with a lot of other cultural institutions in the area, artists, universities, schools and businesses that have an interest in Germany and its language and culture.”
One example is an art exhibit curated by Girnius called “Unconventional: The Legacy of Joseph Beuys,” which will continue through Nov. 13. Beuys is considered one of the most important artists of the second half of the 20th century. He was known for his “happenings” and performance art. He was also one of the founders of the Fluxus art movement, which was more concerned with the artistic process than the finished product.
“He’s important for knocking art off its elitist pedestal and thrusting it into everyday life,” Girnius said. “The exhibition that I curated features the work of four artists who are either based or were trained in Kansas City who were invited to respond to Beuys’ art.”
On Dec. 8, the pop-up will offer “On Tyranny. Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.” It will explore Timothy Snyder’s bestselling book of the same name, in which he examines the Nazi and communist eras to reveal 20 lessons in how to resist authoritarianism.
“It’s an exciting project and the illustrations are fantastic,” Girnius said. “It raises a lot of issues that are important to Germany, but also the United States and a number of other countries around the world.”
People are welcome to stop by the pop-up to get books in German and English. They also have book clubs that take place once a month and two conversation clubs that meet regularly, one for advanced speakers and one for intermediate learners.
“You can sign up for the newsletter on the website,” Girnius said. “The November book club will be online and people will be sent a Zoom link, and you can join at any time. You can read the book in English or you can read it in German, but the discussion is always in English.”
Goethe Pop Up, 1914 Main. 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. To learn more and sign up for the newsletter, goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/ppk.html.
Midwest Trust Center 2022 season
The Midwest Trust Center is looking ahead to winter and spring with its recently-announced 2022 season. It’s chockablock with concerts to appeal to every taste, from classical to folk to jazz.
For dance lovers, the Trinity Irish Dance Company will perform on Jan. 28. The modern dance company Pilobolus will celebrate its 50s anniversary with “Big Five-Oh!” on April 2. And the legendary all-male drag Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo will bring their exhilarating footwork and fancy costumes to Yardley Hall on April 14. A critic for “The Daily Telegraph” wrote, ”The Trocks deliver a kick from a steel toe-cap in a silky pointe shoe.”
There will be several Winterlude performances to warm things up with cool jazz. Ensembles include The Eclipse Trio and trumpeter Clint Ashlock with the Charles Williams Quartet.
But, frankly, the concerts I’m most looking forward to feature Kansas City’s own Opus 76 Quartet. Founded by violinist Keith Stanfield, this ensemble can always be counted on for sensitive playing of the highest caliber. The artists-in-residence at the Midwest Trust Center will present concerts on Jan. 9, Feb. 20 and March 20 featuring music by Beethoven, Mozart, Dvořák, Haydn and Brahms. They’re don’t-miss concerts of rock-solid repertoire.
For tickets and more information, 913-469-4445 or jccc.edu/midwesttrustcenter.
Jan. 9: The Opus 76 Quartet performs Beethoven’s Opus 131 along with a screening of the film “Immortal Beloved” (Polsky Theatre)
Jan. 23: The Choir of Man (Yardley Hall)
Jan. 23: Winterlude – The Eclipse Trio featuring Poet Glenn North* (Polsky Theatre)
Jan. 28: Trinity Irish Dance Company (Yardley Hall)
Jan. 29: The Texas Tenors (Yardley Hall)
Jan. 30: Villalobos Brothers and Las Cafeteras* (Polsky Theatre)
Feb. 4: Bridge & Wolak (Polsky Theatre)
Feb. 6: The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston starring Belinda Davids (Yardley Hall)
Feb. 19: South Pacific (Yardley Hall)
Feb. 20: The Opus 76 Quartet Mozart and Dvořák (Polsky Theatre)
Feb. 27: Winterlude – Clint Ashlock and Charles Williams Quartet (Polsky Theatre)
March 2: StoneLion Puppet Theatre, “The Lost Treasure”
March 6: Winterlude – Bessie, Billie and Nina: Pioneering Women in Jazz (Polsky Theatre)
March 13: Quartet San Francisco (Polsky Theatre)
March 18-19: Drum TAO 2022 (Yardley Hall)
March 20: The Opus 76 Quartet with Julie Coucheron, piano Haydn and Brahms (Polsky Theatre)
March 27: Mnozil Brass (Yardley Hall)
April 2: Pilobolus, “Big Five-Oh!” (Yardley Hall)
April 8: Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock ‘N’ Roll (Yardley Hall)
April 14: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Yardley Hall)
May 14-15: Mesner Puppet Theater, In the Workshop LIVE (Polsky Theatre)
May 22: Judy Collins and Madeleine Peyroux (Yardley Hall)
Lyric Opera Goes to Hollywood
The movies have probably done more to turn people on to classical music and opera than any high school music appreciation class. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City will celebrate the arias made famous by movies with “Lyric Opera Goes to Hollywood” Nov. 13 and 14 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
This gala concert, marking the Lyric Opera’s first performance in the Kauffman Center since the beginning of the pandemic, will feature selections from “Pretty Woman,” “Mission Impossible,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “The Witches of Eastwick” and “Up.” Performing will be three singers making their Lyric Opera debuts: soprano Talise Trevigne, mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson and tenor Limmie Pulliam. Also performing is baritone Edward Parks, who won a 2019 Grammy Award for his work in “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” with Santa Fe Opera.
7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 and 2 p.m. Nov. 14. Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $53.50 - $93.50. 816-471-7344 or kcopera.org.
You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.