For classical music, theater and other arts fans in Kansas City, it’s a ‘silent spring’
Usually at this time of year, Kansas City is filled with a joyful cacophony of musical and theater performances. But in 2020, it’s more reminiscent of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring.” In her landmark 1962 environmental classic, Carson wrote how the misuse of pesticides could lead to a springtime bereft of bird song.
The eerie silence coming from Helzberg Hall, the Folly Theater, the Carlsen Center and other Kansas City venues is Kansas City’s silent spring. These are dark (and quiet) times, but Kansas City’s arts community is rising to the challenge, reaching into deep reservoirs of creativity and fortitude to save their organizations and preserve their art for when this pandemic finally ends.
Many music and theater groups that have had to cancel performances due to the coronavirus are hoping that rather than asking to be reimbursed, people donate the sum they’ve paid for tickets in an attempt to keep the arts alive in KC.
Musicians are making their performances available on social media, and the Kansas City Symphony has recently started a podcast to ease the pain of local classical fans. “Beethoven Walks Into a Bar” features associate conductor Jason Seber, flutist Michael Gordon and education manager Stephanie Brimhall rapping about music.
“If Beethoven were alive today and wanted to talk about music with his friends at the pub, I’m sure he’d have a great time with these folks,” writes executive director Danny Beckley in a press release. “The hope is our new podcast will be a fun way to talk about music and bring a little joy into your day. This is one of several new ventures we are starting in light of the current situation.”
An inventive string quartet
The Opus 76 string quartet was founded three years ago and has already established itself as one of Kansas City’s most important chamber ensembles. Violinist Keith Stanfield, a co-founder of the group, says the social media groundwork he’s been laying is now helping Opus 76 survive the current crisis.
“I’ve been cultivating our online presence for quite some time — for years,” Stanfield said.
“All of our content will always be free, but because we are a non-profit, we are able to use a Facebook donate button to raise money for ourselves. We were doing a lot of charitable work in the community, and obviously we can’t do that for people now, but what we are able to do is raise money for them using our own platform. If they’re registered as a non-profit on Facebook, we can donate our performances.”
Opus 76 has been adding donate buttons to online performances to benefit not just themselves but organizations like Harvesters. With the donate button, Facebook makes sure the money goes directly to the organization. Stanfield says that the quartet is also trying help other freelance musicians in the area by featuring their work on Facebook.
“The freelancers have gotten totally railroaded by this,” Stanfield said, referring to COVID-19.
“Every Thursday we’re going to highlight a different freelancer in the area and then collect money on their behalf. It’s going to be needs-based not merit-based. Whoever is interested can send just one three-minute or less piece of solo Bach. I really don’t care what it sounds like. Then we’ll put their performance on our page and people can donate, if they like.
“I’m just trying to look out for people like myself who have lost a lot of work.”
A mobile workforce
But live streams, podcasts and CDs are not nearly as satisfying as live performances for inveterate concert-goers like Vern Barnet from Kansas City.
“I’m grateful for recorded music, but live music is, well, alive,” Barnet said.
“It’s the difference between watching a rerun of a baseball game and being in the stands. Every moment is vivid, fraught with dangerous beauty as the performers sense the crowd’s expectations. I can’t get that from a CD.”
Clark Morris, executive director of the Harriman-Jewell Series, shares the frustration of those who love live music. Morris is the successor to Richard Harriman, who founded the revered Series, which has blessed Kansas City with outstanding live performances for more than 50 years. Speaking on the phone as he was driving to Iowa to pick up his son from college, Morris discussed how his staff of eight are coping with the pandemic’s contingencies.
“We have moved to a more mobile workforce, so most of the staff are working from home,” Morris said. “We still have some functions in the office that have to keep going, like checking the mail, keeping bills paid and making sure that contributions that come in get processed.
“The biggest change is the mode of communication. Previously, we would have full-staff meetings. Now we’ve been having daily Zoom video meetings to make sure that even though we’re physically separated, we still have a connection. So we’ve been keeping up morale.”
Counting every penny
Keeping up morale is a challenge for arts organizations, since the pandemic is not only causing work disruptions but also existential threats to income. In the best of times, arts groups must count every penny.
“Certainly, there are financial consequences,” Morris said.
“For us, it’s a loss of revenue from ticket sales. We’re attempting to deal with that. We’re hoping our donors stay with us and allow us to weather this temporary setback. The other thing that we as a staff think about are the other partners that are dealing with loss of income — the caterers, the restaurants that facilitate meeting for us, the stagehands and certainly our artists. The halls that we use, the printers that print our programs, transportation companies that move our artists and goods around — all of them are impacted by this temporary shutdown.”
Many patrons are sensitive to the dire situation and are not asking for refunds for canceled events, but are instead donating it to the organization.
“We are seeing that,” Morris said. “One of the things we’ve also done is relax our exchange policy to allow our patrons to exchange tickets for another performance next year. But it’s difficult because most of our expenses are set and you’re counting on that ticket revenue and if the concert doesn’t happen, it can really upset the apple cart.”
Theater scene
Kansas City’s vibrant theater scene has also been hit hard. Musical Theater Heritage has had to cancel its production of “Carousel.” The Unicorn Theatre has canceled the last two weeks of “American Son” and is rescheduling “Lifespan of a Fact.” The Unicorn says it’s hoping to reopen in June.
The KC Rep is canceling “Noises Off,” which was scheduled to open on March 29. All theater groups, like all arts organizations in Kansas City, are hoping patrons will donate the cost of their tickets rather than request a refund.
The Harriman-Jewell Series is holding out hope that one of its most anticipated concerts of the season, a recital by Joyce DiDonato and the early music ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro on May 29, might in some fashion still go on.
“At this point, we’re still holding onto that performance in the hope that in some form we’ll still be able to present that,” Morris said. “It’s impossible to know today whether that’s going to be possible, but we still have hope in that possibility.”
DiDonato said things are up in the air.
“Like the rest of the world, I’m sorting things out on an hourly basis,” she wrote in an e-mail. “I feel like we have all been plunged into a Buddhist boot camp where our only sane option is to truly live in the moment, unable to make serious plans for the future. So my current goal is acceptance, working very diligently to guard against anxiety, paralyzation and isolation of spirit.”
Encouraging words
Rachel Carson, who died in 1964, would have been thrilled that eagle populations are thriving in North America because the pesticide DDT was banned in 1972. The fervent spirit that defines Kansas City’s arts community gives us assurance that our beloved musicians, artists and creators will once again soar like eagles.
DiDonato, the songbird from Prairie Village, has some encouraging words for local arts lovers:
“I celebrate how potent the arts are serving us all in this moment, and I’m so grateful for the artists still creating and contributing,” DiDonato wrote. “I don’t have skills that can serve on the front lines of this, but I can contribute to the spirit of how we walk through this challenge together. I encourage everyone to reach out in the way they are able, and to contribute to our healing. That will be the key to our emotional survival.”
You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.