Name: Jeff-Efflam Bavouzet
Start: 2025-05-09T19:00:00
Location: Folly Theater

Folly Theater is set to dazzle audiences with an eclectic mix of performances in 2025, featuring world-class artists across diverse genres. From the Grammy-winning vocal supergroup säje to the electrifying duo recital of Leonidas Kavakos and Daniil Trifonov, and the creative brilliance of Branford Marsalis, each event promises a unique experience. Adding to this lineup are engaging performances like 'Ada Twist, Scientist & Friends', a musical spotlighting STEM education, and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's exploration of Maurice Ravel's works. These events encapsulate the spirit of Folly Theater: a hub of creativity and expression.

Exploring Musical Mastery: A Journey Through Folly Theater's Upcoming Events

Spring 2025 is set to bloom with artistic brilliance at Kansas City's Folly Theater. From the inquisitive minds of Ada Twist and Friends to the timeless strings of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and the innovative fusion of jazz and classical realms with Helen Sung, the theater promises a diverse palette of performances. Audiences will also be treated to heartwarming tales with Charlotte's Web and the exquisite piano renditions of Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. This season offers a splendid opportunity to explore a spectrum of creativity and cultural expression.

A Spring of Arts: Kansas City’s Cultural Lineup at Folly Theater

The Folly Theater in Kansas City is set to host an eclectic lineup of performances in 2025, showcasing a diverse array of artistic expressions. From the exhilarating dance narratives of Ailey II to the whimsical tale of friendship in 'Charlotte's Web', each event promises to captivate audiences. The 13th Annual Kansas City Burlesque Festival will dazzle with its array of performers, while musical tributes like 'TOAST – The Ultimate Bread Experience' and 'Silver Springs – A Fleetwood Mac Experience' offer nostalgic journeys through iconic hits. Rounding off the schedule are performances by acclaimed pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and jazz vocalist Brenna Whitaker, alongside the unique theatrical spectacle 'Dogman: The Musical'.

Exploring the Artistic Tapestry: Ailey II, Burlesque, and Beyond at Folly Theater

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet

Folly Theater

Joshua Redman is one of the most acclaimed and respected jazz artists to have emerged in our generation. With a career spanning over thirty years, it is hard to imagine a year of firsts for a musician as prolific as Redman. And yet, 2023 proved to be exactly that: launching his debut album, where are we, on the venerable Blue Note Records label, this album was planned largely by phone and text – a direct result of the exigencies of the pandemic – and finds Redman recording with a vocalist and writing lyrics for the first time.

Joshua Redman Quartet

Turn the poutiest of frowns upside down in this musical featuring whimsical puppets and live performers in a sweeping oceanic adventure. When Mr. Fish sets out on a quest to find Miss Clam’s missing pearl, he discovers there is more to him than his permanently plastered pout. This colorful adaptation of The New York Times bestseller is co-conceived, directed, and designed by the acclaimed puppeteers of AchesonWalsh Studios.

The Pout-Pout Fish

For Cyrille Aimée, music is a way of life as much as an art form, setting her free to pursue her creative talents wherever the promptings of her diverse heritage take her. She has developed a remarkable multi-award winning, continent-spanning career as a singer, songwriter, lyricist, and educator, while always remaining true to her roots. She grew up in a multilingual household full of music where dancing was an everyday activity, sound tracked by the Afro-Caribbean rhythms of the bachata and merengue from her mother’s native Dominican Republic. The family home was in Samois-sur-Seine, the location of the Django Reinhardt Festival, one of the biggest annual gatherings of gypsy musicians in Europe. The teenage Cyrille would climb out of her bedroom window at night to mingle with the players, igniting a passion for jazz, and inspiring her with the idea of living within a global community of music, united in creativity and spontaneity, without limits or borders.

Cyrille Aimée Duo

Unlimited Miles: Miles Davis At 100 keeps one foot rooted in the rich legacy of Miles Davis while the other leaps boldly into the future. Under the direction of award-winning pianist and composer, John Beasley, this starry sextet delves into the visionary spirit and boundless creativity of Davis, exploring the vast directions his music continues to inspire. Beasley’s arrangements will cover each decade of Davis’ chameleonic career.

Unlimited Miles: Miles Davis at 100

On January 16, 1938 Benny Goodman controversially brought radical swing music into the venerated Carnegie Hall, and history was made. Now hear that music through our Kansas City sound, almost a century later! In memory of Donald J. Hall. Folly Theater, 7pm.

KCJO Plays Benny Goodman Live at Carnegie Hall featuring Anat Cohen

Galvanized by seismic changes in the ever-evolving social and political landscape, Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science confront a wide spectrum of social justice issues. The band’s stunning double disc debut, Waiting Game, immediately takes its place in the stirring lineage of politically conscious and activist music, expressing an unflinching, inclusive and compassionate view of humanity’s breaks and bonds through an expansive program melding jazz, R&B, indie rock, contemporary improvisation, and hip-hop.

Terri Lyne Carrington: We Insist!

Brains On, the wildly popular podcast for kids, is hitting the road with a hilarious science themed show that takes the audience on an adventure through our brains. Hosts Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez and Sanden Totten will be there with magic tricks, dance moves, out-of-body experiences, mystery sounds, and even a game show! All the while, kids (and their grown-ups) learn how our brains take a handful of signals from the eyes and ears and turn them into a vibrant picture of the world.

Brains On Presents: Your Brain is Magic

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.

Jeff-Efflam Bavouzet

Articles & News