Weekend of Performing Arts Brings Purple to Kansas City
By Kaylee Engle
Communications Student Assistant
The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance in the College of Arts & Sciences at Kansas State University will bring its talent to Kansas City for a weekend of performing arts. The weekend will feature a dinner on the Plaza, a theatre production and the showcase event, “Rhapsody II”, at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts May 9-10.
“Most performances of the School of Music, Theater, and Dance are done on campus and we’re excited to take our show to our alumni in the Kansas City area,” said Joshua Oppenheim, co-director of Choral Studies. “This is a great opportunity for K-Staters to see our student artists perform without needing to travel to Manhattan. It also gives our students an opportunity to perform in a world-class setting.”
The featured event, “Rhapsody II,” is the second annual concert presented by the K-State Choral Division and will include performances by four of K-State’s choral ensembles, including the Concert Choir, Women’s Choir and In-A-Chord. The K-State Grand Chorus and professional orchestra will perform Dan Forrest’s “Requiem for the Living” with special guest alumna and acclaimed organist Jan Kraybill. The concert will be held on May 10 at 3 p.m. at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri.
“‘Rhapsody II’ will build on the success of the first in every way. We will have over twice the number students participating. The audience will be well over 1,000. We are hoping to generate $50,000-$60,000 in revenue from the event,” said Oppenheim. “National and international recognition for excellence in the arts has been demonstrated for many years at K-State, so we hope this event will enable a commensurate level financial support for the arts.”
Tickets to “Rhapsody II” can be purchased online through kauffmancenter.org. All proceeds support scholarships and performing opportunities for K-State students. Tickets begin at $10. For more information on the event, visit www.k-statechoirs.com.
“Rhapsody II” is part of a weekend of performing arts in Kansas City showcasing K-State. On May 9, there will be a dinner at Kansas City’s Chaz on the Plaza in the Raphael Hotel. Rooms at the Raphael Hotel are available for the evening and reservations can be made online.
On that same day, “Sticky Traps,” a play at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre by K-State alum Nathan Jackson, will show at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through the Kansas City Repertory Theatre website. Enter the promo code “KState” for a discount.
To make these events more accessible to a larger audience, the K-State Choral Division created a special, lower ticket price this year to allow more people to be a part of the experience. Many sections have already been sold out and it expects to have at least a 50 percent increase in audience members for “Rhapsody II.”
For more information on K-State’s choral ensembles, Concert Choir, Women’s Choir and In-A-Chord visit http://www.kstatechoirs.com/choirsensembles.html.
