We are introduced to opera’s nascent form with enthusiastic, expert guidance from musicologist Dr.

That is an impressive feat, as most operas take longer than two hours to perform. They’ve carved down the history of the art form into two hours eight episodes of 15 minutes each, packaged in two parts.

The Lyric Opera partnered with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, AWStudios, and three area music historians, creating a textured entre into the somewhat daunting world of opera. The first four episodes of “Opera in Eight Parts” were released on Monday. Lyric Opera of Kansas City created “New Visions” for this season, including their outdoor series “Soundscapes in the City,” a family-friendly puppet opera coming in December, and this latest foray, “Opera in Eight Parts.” Organizations of all ilks have had to scrap their carefully developed programming and devise new ways to reach and service audiences, while trying to secure funding and maintain existence. We are starved for artistic connection, the community must rally to sustain artists we hold dear, and the shaky camera phone footage that was sufficient in April is no longer palatable when creating monetizable content.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s newest venture, which will undoubtedly please their loyal patron base, is “Opera in Eight Parts,” a sort of hybrid recital/tasting menu which introduces the major points of opera’s development from the 16 th into the 21 st century.Īs the pandemic and social isolation have dragged on, three things are apparent.

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