The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts

Kentucky Center bringing NPR’s From the Top to Louisville

NPR’s From the Top with host Christopher O’Riley is coming to The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts on February 3, 2016 as part of The Kentucky Center’s Gheens Great Expectations program.  From the Top is America’s largest national platform dedicated to celebrating the stories, talents, and character of classically-trained musicians.  They have over 700,000 devoted listeners to their weekly nationally broadcast radio program.  

Former Gheens Artist and From the Top alum Caroline Goulding with host Christopher O’Riley

From the Top has been an incredible avenue for the best young musicians in America to have their creative voices heard.  I am thrilled that this dynamic show will make its return to Louisville and give some of our best young artists a chance to shine.  The Louisville Youth Orchestra can't wait to be part of the show, and we look forward to sharing the stage with the brightest future stars of the classical music world.  

- Jason Seber, Music Director of the Louisville Youth Orchestra and Education and Outreach Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra

Many of today’s top professional young artists are alumni of this program, and we encourage all of the most talented and advanced classical young musicians (pre-college musicians ages 8-18) to apply.  To apply to be a From the Top young artist, go to: http://www.fromthetop.org/information/apply/npr-radio-show/ 

To be considered for the February 3^rd program at The Kentucky Center, your application must be received by October 31^st.  All of the application information including repertoire, length of pieces, and more can be found on the From the Top website provided above.

MUSIC TEACHERS, MUSIC STUDENTS – Don’t wait until deadline – now is the time to pick your repertoire and make your recordings to submit electronically to From the Top.

Jeffrey Jamner, Artistic Director of Gheens Great Expectations says, "I have been a fan of this program for many years, and in the past two years, The Kentucky Center has collaborated with From the Top to bring its educational matinee & residency program to eastern Kentucky.  We are thrilled to expand this partnership to include the From the Top program along with a Side-by-Side performance of the Louisville Orchestra and Louisville Youth Orchestra in the Gheens Great Expectations Extravaganza on February 3, 2016.  This program will kick-off the Kentucky Music Educators Association all-state conference hosted by The Kentucky Center, and all of this is made possible with a generous grant from the Gheens Foundation."

WHAS Crusade for Children donates $35k to Kentucky Center programs that support special needs children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Rob Thomas

(502) 566-5194

rthomas@kentuckycenter.org                       

WHAS CRUSADE FOR CHILDREN DONATES $35,000 TO SUPPORT SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN THROUGH THE KENTUCKY CENTER’S ARTS IN HEALING, ARTSREACH, AND ACCESS SERVICES  

LOUISVILLE, Ky.— The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts recently received a $35,000 gift from WHAS Crusade for Children. This grant will be used to expand The Kentucky Center’s education and community arts programs Arts in Healing and ArtsReach and Access Services, in order to support more children with special needs. These programs provide transformative experiences to those with limited access to the arts. 

“The generosity and support of our corporate community is powerful,” said Kentucky Center President Kim Baker. “Grants like this one from WHAS Crusade for Children make it possible for The Kentucky Center to change the lives of children with diverse backgrounds and circumstances through the arts.” 

This grant from WHAS Crusade for Children will impact more than 5,000 children with special needs through Arts in Healing and ArtsReach. The funds will also provide access services, including a ramp to Bomhard Theater’s Quiet Room.  

Arts in Healing currently serves patients recovering from substance abuse, movement disorders and the wounds of war, children facing physical and emotional abuse and abandonment, seniors embracing the end of life, families dealing with homelessness, and patients undergoing cancer treatment. Participants engage in instrumental music, vocal music, storytelling, dance, drama and visual arts – providing a creative outlet for stress and difficult circumstances. 

ArtsReach is a vital program for our community as it takes the arts to where youth live, play and attend school. The program works with community centers throughout Metro Louisville to empower youth through studio arts instruction in dance, violin and visual art. The program also provides youth with affordable tickets to performances and the opportunity to perform on The Kentucky Center’s professional stages. Participants in ArtsReach learn new skills, expand their horizons and develop a sense of self, well-being and belonging. As the individual is empowered, the arts simultaneously build and strengthen the community.  

Learn more about Arts in Healing, ArtsReach and other education and community arts programs offered by The Kentucky Center.

About The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts

The mission of The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts is to lead and enrich the artistic, educational and economic vitality of the region by providing unparalleled programming and cultural events. The Center serves Kentucky through education and initiatives which expand and diversify audiences while enhancing their understanding, appreciation and support for the arts.

About The Kentucky Center’s Arts in Healing Program

Arts in Healing provides artist residencies and on-going arts programming of instrumental music, vocal music, storytelling, dance, drama, poetry-writing and the visual arts to patients in 15 local healthcare facilities, including Our Lady of Peace, Nazareth Home, The Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, Volunteers of America, The James Graham Brown Cancer Center and The Home of the Innocents. 

 About The Kentucky Center’s ArtsReach Program

Since 1991, The Kentucky Center's ArtsReach program has empowered community centers to program the arts, nurtured and developed diverse artists and audiences, engaged youth and created community through the arts. 

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Kentucky Center Arts in Healing prepares presentation for US Veterans Affairs Committees

The Kentucky Center Arts in Healing Program is gaining national recognition for its unique programming for veterans at Robley Rex VA Medical Center (Louisville).

Arts in Healing program director Kristen Hughes has been asked by the Louisville VA Medical Center to speak to staffers from the Veterans Affairs Committees of both the US House of Representatives and US Senate about our program. 

Robley Rex VA Medical Center has also requested that Arts in Healing begin providing visual art activities for patients in the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) clinic through their Peer Support program. Participants are actively engaged in creative exercises as they discuss their feelings and diagnosis. 

Client feedback shows this combination of hands-on creativity in the same time frame as counseling sessions is helping service men and women process and internalize the content of their therapy sessions at a deeper, more meaningful level.

Learn more about the statewide impact of The Kentucky Center Community Arts and Education programs. 

Image sourced from azptsd.org

Discover Drop & Date - a fabulous new option for parents attending Kentucky Center performances

Drop your child off for a safe, fun-filled evening at The Kentucky Science Center and then enjoy Date Night at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.

Learn more about Drop & Date by visiting the Kentucky Science Center website.

Drop-Off at 6 p.m., Pick-up by 11 p.m.

Open to children grades K-6

Includes Themed Activities, Demonstrations, and Dinner

Pre-Registration Required

Drop and Date is available for these upcoming Kentucky Center performances:

Saturday, September 26: Bernstein: "Mass," One Man Breaking Bad
Saturday, October 17: Dirty Dancing, Paula Poundstone
Sunday, October 25: David Sedaris
Thursday, November 12: Sufjan Stevens
Saturday, December 5: WICKED

Kentucky Center ArtsReach Dance and Violin Studios provide free weekly instruction for 100+ youth

The Kentucky Center ArtsReach Dance and Violin Studios resumed this month, providing free weekly instruction for over 100 youth.

Studios take place at Chestnut Street YMCA, Shively City Hall, Shawnee Art & Cultural Center, West End School and WESTEC. 

In addition to dance and violin, ArtsReach offers a weekly, year-round, intergenerational jewelry making studio. This drop-in studio is open to all and in addition to weekly regulars, is popular among many of the community organizations in the ArtsReach Network such as St. Joseph’s Children’s Home, Alternative Placement Services and Maryhurst.

Learn more about ArtsReach and the statewide impact of The Kentucky Center's nonprofit Community Arts and Education programs. 

Interested in Community Arts and Education? Create your Kentucky Center eClub profile here. Select Education as one of your Interests to receive our monthly Membership + Mission eNewsletter.

Photo from 2015 ArtsReach Performance Showcase (The Kentucky Center)

 

Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts explores relationships, geography and common values through the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange

Article and images provided by Nick Covault, Programming and Community Engagement Manager at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state of many regions - mountains, plains of bluegrass, caves, and lakes carve out a state that is proud of its identity and heritage.  The same regional diversity, however, can easily serve as a divide between fellow Kentuckians.  In a state where Whitesburg is a six hour drive from Paducah and where the largest city presses against the border with Indiana, it’s easy for Kentuckians to think of vast swaths of their shared state as “that place over there.”

A collective of Kentuckians, however, is working hard to connect people across natural and man-made divides to share resources and build relationships for the greater good of the Commonwealth.  The Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (KY RUX) perceives our state on a human scale, operating on the belief that Kentucky’s greatest resource is the people who call this state “home.”

KY RUX is a joint project of organizations which themselves represent three corners of the state - Appalshop (based in the eastern town of Whitesburg), Maiden Alley Cinema (of Paducah), and Art of The Rural (a national organization with staff based in Louisville).  With the guidance of a steering committee, these groups have identified “next generation" leaders from across the state to be matched in pairs or small groups within three cohorts - arts/culture, agriculture, and small business/community development.  

KY RUX participants travel en masse to each of their respective communities to spend time with their match or small group, dialoguing about common challenges and successes while planning collaborations.  This allows participants to discover the landscape and culture of Kentucky regions that otherwise may have remained an unrealized road trip. This past June KY RUX members gathered in Whitesburg to climb Pine Mountain and take in the Appalachian music of the Seedtime Festival; in early August the same group met in Louisville to explore The People’s Garden in the Shawnee neighborhood and take a plant tour of Iroquois Park.  This October, Paducah will play host, providing the KY RUX a chance to discover the beautiful features, food, and people of our western region. 

The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts has a statewide mission and quickly saw value in the KY RUX, as it brings cultural workers together to envision an even greater Commonwealth.   The Kentucky Center was one of the KY RUX’s first sponsors, and supports a staff presence at KY RUX convenings (currently, The Kentucky Center’s Programming & Community Engagement Manager is matched with staff at Appalshop and Maiden Alley Cinema). 

While many collaborations born from the KY RUX have already reached a level of fruition, including a vision for re-energizing a historic hotel in Whitesburg and a plan for a graphic novel that tells stories of profound Kentucky women, we believe the best is yet to come as this two-year-old initiative continues to introduce Kentuckian to Kentuckian to create an outcome greater than the sum of their parts.

The KY RUX states its mission as, “Together, we are creative opportunities for Kentuckians to cultivate relationships across divides in order to build a more unified and equitable Commonwealth for all.” For information on the initiative, visit http://artoftherural.org/programs/rux/. 

Over the Rhine return to Louisville in time for seasonal winter + holiday performance

91.9 WFPK Presents
OVER THE RHINE
Friday, December 11, 8 p.m.
The Kentucky Center, Bomhard Theater
501 W. Main Street, Louisville 40202

For fans of: The Lone Bellow, The Milk Carton Kids, Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash...

"Lovely, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting music" - Paste Magazine

"Understated, Country-tinged charm" - Washington Post

"Airy musical arrangements and breathtaking vocal harmonies" - Wall Street Journal

Ticket prices start at $25, reserved seating, fees apply. 

Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, September 18, at 10 a.m.  through The Kentucky Center Ticketing Service online, by phone (502.584.7777), and at the box office (501 W. Main Street, Louisville, 40202). 

View upcoming Kentucky Center Presents shows! New shows are booked throughout the year. 

Love live arts and entertainment? Create your Kentucky Center eClub profile and receive presale invitations, our monthly box office eCalendar, and occasional special offers.

Humana Foundation donates $30k to The Kentucky Center Arts in Healing program

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Rob Thomas

(502) 566-5194

rthomas@kentuckycenter.org

HUMANA FOUNDATION DONATES $30,000 TO THE KENTUCKY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS TRANSFORMATIVE ARTS IN HEALING PROGRAM 

LOUISVILLE, Ky.— The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts recently received a $30,000 gift from the Humana Foundation. This grant will be used to support The Kentucky Center’s Arts in Healing program, which provides positive arts experiences to those healing from physical and mental health challenges.

 “We are truly thankful for the support of the Humana Foundation,” said Kentucky Center President Kim Baker. “Grants from generous organizations like Humana make it possible for The Kentucky Center to support those healing from difficult circumstances through the arts.” 

This grant from the Humana Foundation will help The Kentucky Center expand its Arts in Healing program to reach even more patients recovering from substance abuse, movement disorders and the wounds of war, children facing physical and emotional abuse and abandonment, seniors embracing the end of life, families dealing with homelessness, and patients undergoing cancer treatment. Arts in Healing participants engage in instrumental music, vocal music, storytelling, dance, drama and visual arts – providing a creative outlet for stress and difficult circumstances.

 About The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts

The mission of The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts is to lead and enrich the artistic, educational and economic vitality of the region by providing unparalleled programming and cultural events. The Center serves Kentucky through education and initiatives which expand and diversify audiences while enhancing their understanding, appreciation and support for the arts.

About The Kentucky Center’s Arts in Healing Program

Arts in Healing provides artist residencies and on-going arts programming of instrumental music, vocal music, storytelling, dance, drama, poetry-writing and the visual arts to patients in 15 local healthcare facilities, including Our Lady of Peace, Nazareth Home, The Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, Volunteers of America, The James Graham Brown Cancer Center, and the Home of the Innocents.  

#freeyogafriday class schedule for Kentucky Center and Metro Hall (Sept. - Dec.)

The Kentucky Center and Louisville Metro Government  are pleased to announce that the popular #freeyogafriday classes will continue this fall.

Students are required to bring their own mats and sign-in by 11:50 each Friday so that class can begin promptly at noon. Signage posted in the lobby of the host facility will list the room or hall designation for each class.

Classes will be taught by Jamie Calzi, unless otherwise noted. Jamie is certified as a 200-hour registered yoga instructor. She teaches regularly in Louisville and is excited to share the joy of Yoga with new and returning students.

Beginners are welcome at these yoga flow classes. Students sign a liability waiver on-site. In case of inclement weather, yoga class will be cancelled if Jefferson County Public Schools has cancelled classes.

Want to receive weekly reminders regarding the class schedule? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

The majority of classes take place at The Kentucky Center (501 W. Main Street). We will also hold class on dates shown below at the Rotunda at the Mayor’s Office (Metro Hall, 527 W. Jefferson Street, 4th floor).

Fridays

September 4

September 11

September 18, Metro Hall Rotunda

September 25

October 2, Metro Hall Rotunda

October 9

October 16

October 23

October 30

November 6

November 13

November 20

November 27, No Class

December 4, Metro Hall Rotunda

December 11

December 18

-End of the Fall Session - 

STAR TREK: The Ultimate Voyage concert coming to Whitney Hall. Tickets on sale 9.18.

The Kentucky Center Presents
STAR TREK™: The Ultimate Voyage
Wednesday, March 16, 8 p.m.
The Kentucky Center, Whitney Hall
501 W. Main Street, Louisville 40202

This extraordinary and memorable live event brings five decades of STAR TREK™ to concert halls for the first time!

This never-before-seen concert features a live symphony orchestra performing the franchise's groundbreaking and wildly popular musical arrangements as some of the most iconic Star Trek film and TV footage is shown simultaneously in high-definition on a 40' wide screen.

Enjoy music and footage from Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and much more!

Click or Tap for Ticketing Information

Tickets start at $35, reserved seating, fees apply.

Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, September 18, at 10 a.m. through The Kentucky Center Ticketing Service online, by phone at (502) 584-7777 and at the box office.

Groups of 10-or-more save 10%. Call (502) 566-5152 for details.

View upcoming Kentucky Center Presents shows! New shows are booked throughout the year. 

Love live arts and entertainment? Create your Kentucky Center eClub profile and receive presale invitations, our monthly box office eCalendar, and occasional special offers.