Another Kansas City arts group postpones all 2020 Kauffman Center performances
The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra has joined the other major tenants of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in postponing its fall performances because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While we are understandably disappointed, the safety of our audience and orchestra members is paramount,” Lea Petrie, the orchestra’s executive director, said Thursday in a news release.
Last month, the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Harriman-Jewell Series announced they would postpone or cancel all events at the Kauffman Center through Dec. 31.
The jazz orchestra, which performs in the Kauffman Center’s Helzberg Hall, had scheduled “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” for Sept. 13 and “Bird Lives: Celebrating 100 Years of Charlie Parker” for Oct. 2, both of which already had been postponed from the spring. Also affected is “Blue Christmas, Soulful and Swinging Holiday Favorites” on Dec. 8.
But the orchestra’s concerts for 2021 are still on the schedule: “Bright Star: The Music of Mary Lou Williams” on March 5 and “Boss Tom’s Kansas City The Roaring ’20s” on May 14.
“We look forward to performing our mainstage season in the spring 2021 and bringing the community some smaller and socially distanced performances in Kansas City,” Petrie said.
She said the orchestra will present a socially distanced “Drive-In Performance” called “Basie to Bird to Bobby” on Aug. 29 at Plexpod Westport.
Ticket holders from the fall events will automatically be transferred to the rescheduled performances, when they are announced, and will receive the same seats or something comparable if the performance is moved to another hall. To exchange a ticket for another performance, ticket holders should email contact@kauffmancenter.org or call 816-994-7222.
