Kansas City Symphony to return with full schedule, full audiences in September

The Kansas City Symphony has announced a full 2021-22 season featuring in-person, full-capacity audiences at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts after losing its 2020-21 season to the pandemic.

The symphony resumed in-person concerts this spring with limited audiences of subscribers in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. It will kick off the new 29-date season Sept. 24-26 with music by Beethoven, Mahler and the world premiere of a piano concerto by Gabriel Kahane. Music director Michael Stern will conduct.

Stern announced in 2019 that he would step away from his position after 18 years after the 2022-23 season. The symphony said at the time that candidates to be the new music director would guest conduct during 2021-22, and 12 guest conductors are on the schedule.

The core of the season is 14 Classical Series programs, with a smattering of Pops, Family and Holiday concerts — including Handel’s Messiah. Also, three of the symphony’s popular Film and Live Orchestra concerts are slated: “Home Alone,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.”

See kcsymphony.org for more details on the season. Season subscribers have until July 15 to renew or upgrade their subscriptions.