See musicals, operas, ballets & more on offer in Kansas City for 2026-27
Even though it’s only March, now is the time to start planning your entertainment schedules for the coming fall, winter and spring.
Kansas City’s four major arts companies — the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Kansas City Repertory Theatre — have recently released their 2026-27 seasons. They will kick off in September, and season tickets are available for them all.
As Matthias Pintscher enters his third season as music director, the Symphony’s schedule at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts features two living legends — pianist Emanuel Ax and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, a Prairie Village native — as well as works by the usual array of departed luminaries such as Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Handel, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Mahler, Haydn, Wagner, Dvorak and Prokofiev.
Also on tap are six of the Symphony’s popular film-and-live orchestra concerts, plus Pop Series tributes to the likes of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Carly Simon, Jimmy Buffet, Whitney Houston and Bugs Bunny.
The Ballet’s first full production of the 2026-27 season will be “The Wizard of Oz” by choreographer Septime Webre. It will be the third consecutive season for the Ballet to present a work by Webre, following his “Alice in Wonderland” in 2024-25 and including the Kansas City premiere of Webre’s “The Great Gatsby” in May as part of the ongoing 2025-26 season.
Other highlights of the Ballet’s schedule will be the Shakespearian tragic romance “Romeo & Juliet,” a Family Series production of “Pinocchio” and, of course, the holiday tradition of “The Nutcracker.”
The Lyric Opera will celebrate its 70th season with a lineup consisting of four familiar titles and culminating with a new, locally built production of Verdi’s “Aida.”
In addition to “Aida,” the schedule includes Puccini’s “La Bohème,” Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.” The Lyric Opera has previously staged all three at the Kauffman Center, “La Bohème” in 2019, “The Marriage of Figaro” in 2016 and “The Pirates of Penzance” in 2017. The Lyric Opera produced an earlier version of “Aida” in 2007 at the Lyric Theatre.
The KC Rep’s season will have a little bit of everything in a five-show schedule beginning with the 2017 Broadway hit musical “Come From Away” and concluding with the British farce “The Play That Goes Wrong.”
In between are “John Proctor Is the Villain,” a modern, comedic reimagining of “The Crucible” that ran on Broadway in 2025, and “Fannie: The Life and Music of Fannie Lou Hamer,” which draws on civil rights history to tell a true-life story. And, of course, the KC Rep season will feature its traditional holiday production of “A Christmas Carol” for the 45th year.
Kansas City Symphony 2026-27 Season
At Kauffman Center
“Out of This World,” Sept. 13
“The Rite of Spring,” Oct. 2-4
“The Planets,” Oct. 9-11
“Dancing in the Street: Music of Motown,” Oct. 16-18
“Interstellar Live,” Oct. 23-25
“Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,” Oct. 28
“Prokofiev’s Sixth” and “Barber’s Violin Concerto,” Oct. 30-Nov. 1
“Buckets N Boards,” Nov. 8
“Brahms’ German Requiem,” Nov. 20-22
“Muppet Christmas Carol” in Concert, Nov. 27-29
“Handel’s Messiah,” Dec. 4-6
“Cody Fry Christmas,” Dec. 11
Christmas Festival, Dec. 17-20
“Polar Express” in Concert, Dec. 23-24
“Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony,” Jan. 8-10, 2027
“Dvorak’s Eighth With Mozart,” Jan. 15-17, 2027
“Classical Celebration: Mozart & Haydn,” Jan. 22-24, 2027
“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” in Concert, Jan. 28-31, 2027
“Beethoven & Beyond: Piano Concerto No. 4,” Feb. 5-7, 2027
“Clouds in my Coffee: The Music of Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Carly Simon,” Feb. 12-14, 2027
“Alice in Wonderland,” Feb. 21, 2027
“Emanuel Ax Plays Mozart,” March 5-7, 2027
“Tropical Rock for Five O’clock Somewhere: Jimmy Buffet and Friends,” March 12-14, 2027
“Skyfall” in Concert, March 19-21, 2027
“Brahms’ Second Symphony,” April 2-4, 2027
“Wagner’s Valkyrie,” April 9-11, 2027
“The Voice of Whitney: A Symphonic Celebration,” April 16-18, 2027
“Songs of the Sea,” May 7-9, 2027
“Schubert’s Ninth Symphony,” May 14-16, 2027
“Bugs Bunny at the Symphony,” May 21-23, 2027
“Matthias Conducts Mahler: Symphony No. 1; Joyce DiDonato Returns,” June 4-6, 2027
Tickets: Packages are available for any or all of the following: Classical Series, Pops Series, Family Series, Holiday Concerts and Special Presentations. Subscription renewals are available at kcsymphony.org.
Kansas City Ballet 2026-27 Season
“New Dance Partners,” Sept. 18-19, JCCC Midwest Trust Center, Yardley Hall
“The Wizard of Oz,” Oct. 16-25, Kauffman Center
“The Nutcracker,” Nov. 28-Dec. 24, Kauffman Center
“New Moves,” Jan. 28-31, 2027, Todd Bolender Center
“Pinocchio,” Feb. 19-21, 2027, Folly
“Romeo & Juliet,” March 12-21, 2027, Kauffman Center
“Pulse,” May 14-23, 2027, Kauffman Center
Tickets: The Ballet’s three-show season package consisting of “The Wizard of Oz,” “Romeo & Juliet” and “Pulse” is now available ($87-$345), with “The Nutcracker,” “New Moves” and “Pinocchio” as add-ons. Single tickets will go on sale at a later date. More information at kcballet.org.
Lyric Opera of Kansas City 2026-27 season
At Kauffman Center
“La Bohème,” Sept. 19-27
“The Marriage of Figaro,” Nov. 7-15
“The Pirates of Penzance,” Feb. 20-28, 2027
“Aida,” April 24-May 2, 2027
Tickets: Subscription-renewal packets will be mailed in early April, and individual tickets will go on sale in mid-July. Season-ticket packages are $105-$684. More information at kcopera.org.
Kansas City Repertory Theatre 2026-27 season
“Come From Away,” Sept. 1-20, Spencer Theater
“John Proctor Is the Villain,” Oct. 6-25, Copaken Stage
“A Christmas Carol,” Nov. 21-Dec. 24, Spencer Theater
“Fannie: The Life and Music of Fannie Lou Hamer,” Feb. 16-March 7, 2027, Copaken Stage
“The Play That Goes Wrong,” May 4-23, 2027, Spencer Theater
Tickets: Season-ticket packages are on sale now at kcrep.org. Single tickets will go on sale July 15.
