Tag Archives: Nathan Granner

Big love for big voices – Nathan Granner

December 16, 2012 by Chris | 0 Comments

Nathan Granner

I was raised as a preacher’s kid, which meant that I spent a lot of time in church. And because I was convinced that I couldn’t sing hymns, when it was time for everyone to sing them, I would stand and noiselessly mouth the interminable words of ALL the verses as instructed in the program, the hymnal would weigh at least 30 pounds as we began verse 3 and be up to 50 by verse 5, and I would be rudely interrupted from solving the math problems that had been written on my bulletin to occupy my time (yes, I was that nerd). Continue reading »

No people like show people – The Monocle

November 27, 2012 by Chris | 10 Comments

The Monocle

Hi, Kyle here. Today’s introduction will be done by me.

Why? Because it would be my pleasure to acquaint you with my colleagues and Kansas CIty’s new performing arts group, The Monocle. Their debut production, The Orphans Feast, will have four shows this coming weekend, Nov 30 – Dec 2, and Chris and I will be in the audience of at least one, if not more. Continue reading »

Best of 2011 #7 – My husband is the bomb!

January 7, 2012 by Chris | 6 Comments

My ridiculously talented husband!

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 Kauffman Center for the Performing ArtsKauffman Center for the Performing Arts

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:

The Homecoming of Virgil Thomson

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?

join the conversation