Lyric Opera Receives Grant From The Missouri Humanities Council

The Missouri Humanities Council has awarded a $5,000 grant to Lyric Opera of Kansas City in support of a new touring program, Langston Hughes: A Lyrical Life. The Missouri Humanities Council is the only statewide agency in Missouri devoted exclusively to humanities education for citizens of all ages and has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1971.

Langston Hughes: A Lyrical Life is a semi-staged musical and literary experience honoring Hughes' extraordinary legacy while amplifying his singular voice and texts. Presented in partnership with the Missouri Humanities Council and supported by the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund and the Dr. Mary E. Brothers Resident Artist Performance Fund, the program is expected to reach more than 1,500 adults and children across Kansas and Missouri.

Created and directed by Alyson Cambridge, an award-winning opera singer and producer, the production fuses Langston Hughes' words with music and spoken narration. Lyric Opera of Kansas City presents the program in partnership with the Black Archives of Mid-America, the Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City, and the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center. These organizations serve as both host sites and community liaisons.

Twenty-eight school and community performances of this multidisciplinary program will invite audiences to connect with universal human experiences of joy, struggle, and aspiration.

This spring, Lyric Opera of Kansas City will also present two additional American operas in celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary: The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, Feb. 28-March 8, and Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men, May 1-3. Together with Langston Hughes: A Lyrical Life, these works form a season-long reflection on the American story and the importance of voice in shaping democracy.

Langston Hughes: A LYRICAL LIFE

March 15 – April 12, 2026
Touring Kansas City Community Spaces
Admission: FREE

Langston Hughes: A Lyrical Life celebrates the life and legacy of one of America's most influential literary voices. Born in 1901 in Joplin, Missouri, Hughes was an early innovator of jazz poetry and a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. This semi-staged musical and literary experience honors Hughes's extraordinary legacy and amplifies his singular voice and texts, illuminating the universal human experiences of joy, struggle, and aspiration.

Creative Artists:

• Mikayla Lynn Hatfield, soprano^
• Christina Grohowski, mezzo-soprano^
• David Pelino, tenor^
• Alex Smith, baritone^
• Nedra Dixon, narrator
• Alyson Cambridge, creator and director
• Piotr Wiśniewski, music director

^ Lyric Opera of Kansas City Resident Artist

ABOUT LYRIC OPERA OF KANSAS CITY

Established in 1958, Lyric Opera of Kansas City is one of the world's premier regional opera companies and brings high-quality live operatic performances to the Kansas City region. Renowned for its dedication to excellence, Lyric Opera presents a diverse repertoire featuring original language productions from the traditional opera canon alongside contemporary and American operas. Lyric Opera is committed to lifelong learning through robust education, family, and community engagement programming. Through innovative initiatives and commissions, these programs deepen humanistic connections, artistic literacy, and social-emotional learning. Lyric Opera of Kansas City remains an integral part of the cultural fabric of Kansas City and the surrounding region.