Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Mission Statement

To enrich the lives of everyone in the community through extraordinary and diverse performing arts experiences

Description

In 1995, Muriel McBrien Kauffman, civic leader and philanthropist, discussed her vision for the Kauffman Center

for the Performing Arts with her family and the community. After her death, her daughter and chairman of the

Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, Julia Irene Kauffman, helped make this vision a reality.

Internationally renowned architect, Moshe Safdie, was selected to design the center, working with theater designer Richard Pilbrow and acoustician Yasu Toyota. A 13-acre site positioned between downtown Kansas City, Missouri and the Crossroads Arts District was selected and, ground was broken on October 6, 2006. After four and a half years of contruction, the Kauffman Center opened

on September 16, 2011. The Kauffman Center presents a wide range of entertainers and performances from around the world, including classical, pop, and jazz music, ballet and contemporary dance, Broadway productions, and more. In addition, the Kauffman Center serves as the performance home of three of the region’s leading performing arts organizations—Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. The Kauffman Center’s two venues, Muriel Kauffman Theatre and Helzberg Hall, offer audiences engaging and intimate performance experiences, while at the same time providing resident companies with dramatically enhanced technical capabilities.