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The GRAMMY Award® winning vocal supergroup, säje (rhymes with “beige”), is the brainchild of vocalist/composers Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Johnaye Kendrick, and Erin Bentlage. Born out of close friendship and deep admiration, these world-renowned artists, composers, and arrangers have come together to explore, create, and celebrate the music that moves them. As individuals, each artist has crafted their own notable solo career, and now are delighted to bring their collective voices to this union, traversing a vast array of compelling original material, beloved jazz standards, and contemporary re-imaginings (The Bad Plus, YEBBA, Björk, etc). After debuting an inspiring and energized set at the 2020 Jazz Education Network Conference in New Orleans, säje went on to tour multiple jazz festivals and clubs from January to March. During quarantine, säje received their first GRAMMY® nomination, for their composition “Desert Song” in the Best Arrangement Instruments and Vocals category. They were awarded the John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize Award for their second composition “Wisteria”, as well as their first Jazz Journalists Association Award Nomination for “Best Vocal Jazz Group”. The collective also recently received gracious support for their continued work through the Chamber Music of America New Jazz Works grant, the Super Patron Grant, the Jazz Road Creative Residencies grant, and the USC Visions + Voices grant. Their highly anticipated debut album was released in August of 2023, featuring new original work and compelling covers, highlighting collaborations with artists Jacob Collier, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ambrose Akinmusire, and more. The album was received to critical acclaim, and wide reception, landing a #2 spot on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart, and peaking at #4 on the iTunes Jazz Chart. The group won their first GRAMMY Award® for their arrangement of “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” in collaboration with their friend Jacob Collier. The union of säje is rooted in the tradition of joy, curiosity, lush harmony, heart-felt expression, and profound sisterhood.

Two masterful virtuosos will appear together for the first time in an eclectic evening of works for violin and piano. Leonidas Kavakos and Daniil Trifonov will take you on a journey through Beethoven’s melancholy Violin Sonata No. 4, a rapturous Sonata by Poulenc, one of Brahms’ most lyrical and intimate compositions, and finally the colorful and rhythmic folk dance-inspired Rhapsody for Violin and Piano by Béla Bartók.

Experience an extraordinary musical journey with saxophonist Branford Marsalis, a towering figure in contemporary music. As an NEA Jazz Master, Grammy Award winner, and Tony Award nominee, Marsalis has demonstrated his versatility across a wide array of musical genres. Whether performing concertos with symphony orchestras or collaborating with members of the Grateful Dead, his artistry remains unparalleled. At the heart of his musical endeavors lies the Branford Marsalis Quartet, a group that has maintained its core lineup for over three decades. This celebrated ensemble is renowned for its uncompromising interpretations of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics. The Quartet's recent works, including the Grammy-nominated albums "Upward Spiral" and "The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul," showcase their ability to seamlessly integrate guest artists and explore a wide emotional and melodic range. Critics have lauded their live performances as casually confident, professional, cerebral, and supercharged with energy. The Branford Marsalis Quartet embodies these qualities and more, delivering a performance that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally captivating. Join us for an evening that promises to be a highlight in the world of jazz, featuring one of its most influential and revered figures.

Ms. Greer’s classroom includes three inquisitive out-of-the-box thinkers. Rosie Revere has big dreams. Iggy Peck has a relentless passion for architecture. And Ada Twist’s curiosity can lead her to solve any problem. Based on the books Rosie Revere, Engineer; Iggy Peck, Architect; and Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty, this fun musical spotlights the STEM curriculum (focusing on science, technology, engineering and math).

When published in 1725 nobody could imagine Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons would become perhaps the most frequently heard music of all time. Yet today, 300 years on, they remain as popular as ever.

Acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Helen Sung meets Kansas City’s own Bach Aria Soloists for a world premiere performance! BAS commissioned Sung to compose a work celebrating Bach as the OG improviser, the foundations of jazz. Join us for a one-of-a-kind collaborative evening and “piano playing at a quite unbelievably jaw-dropping level” (London Jazz News).

Charlotte’s Web is based on E.B. White’s loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte. Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up as pork chops! Charlotte, a fine writer and true friend, hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman. She will create a “miracle.” Spinning the words “Some Pig” in her web, Charlotte weaves a solution which not only makes Wilbur a prize pig but also ensures his place on the farm forever. This treasured tale, featuring madcap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love, and the true meaning of friendship.

Award-winning pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet enjoys a prolific recording and international concert career. He regularly works with the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, BBC Symphony and London Philharmonic orchestras, Budapest Festival Orchestra, NHK, Seoul Philharmonic, Taiwan Philharmonic and collaborates with many renowned conductors including Vladimir Jurowski, Gianandrea Noseda, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Neeme Järvi, Daniele Gatti, François-Xavier Roth, Ivan Fischer, Vasily Petrenko, Domingo Hindoyan, Pablo Heras Casado, Michele Spotti, Marko Letonja, Ludovic Morlot, Edward Gardner, Nicholas Collon, Louis Langrée, Kazuko Yamada, Pierre Bleuse, Pietari Inkinen, Sir Andrew Davis, Lawrence Foster, Leonard Slatkin, amongst others.