Audra McDonald invites Kansas City to her musical 'living room'

By Christy L'Esperance,

Sam Wisman

Published September 7, 2023 at 9:44 AM CDT

Classical KC's Christy L'Esperance speaks with six time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald about the blurred lines between modern opera and the American musical theater, embracing each performance opportunity and her appearance in Kansas City. We'll hear Audra's rich soprano in works by Leonard Bernstein, John Adams, George Gershwin and more.

Host

Christy L'Esperance

Guest

Audra McDonald

Program

Wonderful Town
"A Little Bit in Love"
"Ohio"
"It's Love"
by Leonard Bernstein
Audra McDonald, Kim Kriswell, Thomas Hampson
Sir Simon Rattle and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group

Ragtime the Musical
"Your Daddy's Son"
"Wheel's of a Dream"
featuring Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell

Audra McDonald performs with the Kansas City Symphony September 15-17 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

"I Had Myself a True Love"
"A Sleepin' Bee"
by Harold Arlen

I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky
"¡Este Pais! - This Country"
"Finale"
by John Adams
featuring Audra McDonald and Michael McElroy

Catfish Row Suite with Scenes from Porgy and Bess
"Summertime"
"My Man's Gone Now"
by George Gershwin
Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony

You can learn more about Audra McDonald's performance in Kansas City at kcsymphony.org.