Alacartoona - by Rich Sugg/KC Star
Kyle (the smiley one that is usually behind the scenes at my shows) was in the photo studio with his band Alacartoona within two hours of our arrival in KC, but not behind the camera like I am – he shines best in front of it. Continue reading
A marriage of two artists is an incredible thing! Not that there aren’t some challenges, but there is also an understanding that is hard to find outside the creative world, an encouragement, and the occasional well-intentioned nudge. We often take more pleasure in the accomplishments of the other than of our own. So one of my bests of 2011 was definitely watching Kyle stretch for a huge performance of a very challenging piece, playing on a relatively new instrument.
The artistic renaissance that is taking place in Kansas City included the 2011 opening of a new performing arts center, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Living approximately 2 miles away from this architectural masterpiece we watched the skyline of Kansas City change, and for 5 years we eagerly anticipated it’s opening. What we couldn’t anticipate was that within a month of its grand opening Kyle would play a solo accordion piece to a near capacity crowd in the acoustically magnificent Helzberg Hall. And along with that, we would spend a couple of days soaking in the grandeur of the building in both the front and back of house with our friends, some of Kansas City’s most talented musicians. (fun fact – They were building the hall longer than Kyle has been playing accordion!) His performance was a part of:
Under the fearless artistic direction of tenor Nathan Granner, 54 area musicians paid tribute to Kansas City’s most lauded composer, presenting an overview of Thomson’s life work. Homecoming: An Evening with Virgil T, was a 90-minute program dedicated to an array of Virgil Thomson’s instrumental and vocal works, all related in some significant way to the theme of Thomson as, in Aaron Copland’s words, the “father of American classical music.” The musical tribute was filmed with seven cameras with excerpts from the concert incorporated into a biography of Thomson to be broadcast nationally on PBS. (projected for spring 2013) Kyle was honored to play an accordion etude, Lamentations, commissioned in 1959 by the National Accordion Association. I couldn’t be prouder!
Kyle Dahlquist in Helzberg Hall
Did you stretch this year? If so how?