Welcome to YOUR Lied Center of Kansas!

Executive Director Derek Kwan

Welcome to your Lied Center’s 31st season! From Tony Award-winning best musicals to Grammy-winning legends, we hope you find our 2024–25 offerings to be exciting and relevant.

As I reflect upon the last ten years, I always come back to one word—community. We are so grateful to the entire community, and especially our Friends of the Lied, for supporting our organization for over three decades. It is truly an honor for the Lied Center to play a role in the lives of tens of thousands every season.

We are always seeking different ways to best serve our community and thank all of you for joining us on this journey. Whether you have kids or grandkids who enjoy our free school performances, attend a naturalization ceremony, or celebrate a KU graduate at one of our many commencement events, we appreciate your efforts in helping us to create a stronger sense of community.

Thank you for taking the time to explore your Lied Center’s 2024–25 season, and we will see you soon!

ROCK CHALK! —Derek S. Kwan, executive director

“We envision a world in which the arts are universally valued as essential to the human experience and the Lied Center is a catalyst for realizing this ideal.”

Mission
Strategic Priorities

The Lied Center of Kansas serves the state’s flagship university, students and the greater community by functioning as a catalyst for the arts, creativity, engagement and community building through the following core activities:

  • Presenting a series of diverse, relevant and world-class artists which activates our community to strengthen its connection with the arts. Constant public feedback and conversation shape the Lied series.
  • Engaging our community through experiential learning in the performing arts and our world by providing opportunities to attend, explore, participate and create.
  • Serving as a communal gathering space for shared experience, connection, conversation and the celebration of achievement.

The Lied Center of Kansas serves the state’s flagship university, students and the greater community by functioning as a catalyst for the arts, creativity, engagement and community building through the following core activities:

  • Presenting a series of diverse, relevant and world-class artists which activates our community to strengthen its connection with the arts. Constant public feedback and conversation shape the Lied series.
  • Engaging our community through experiential learning in the performing arts and our world by providing opportunities to attend, explore, participate and create.
  • Serving as a communal gathering space for shared experience, connection, conversation and the celebration of achievement.
  • Research & Discovery
  • Healthy & Vibrant Communities
  • Student Success
History
Founder
Past Performances

The Lied Center of Kansas opened on Sept. 28, 1993 and was built through the generosity of the Lied Foundation Trust and the Lawrence community. It is dedicated to Ernst F. Lied’s parents, Ernst M. and Ida K. Lied. The inaugural performance of The Secret Garden set the stage for the important role. Today, the Lied Center is the home of two outstanding performance spaces: the main auditorium, with a capacity just under 2,000, and the Pavilion, a flexible space with seating for 200.

Ernst F. Lied came to the University of Kansas from Kansas City, Missouri in 1923. His father managed an automobile dealership in Kansas City. While at KU, Lied was chosen and elected to secretary of the Sphinx Society, a freshman honorary for men. The next school year, Lied’s classmates voted him vice president of the sophomore class. He made the honor roll and the University Daily Kansan described him as one of the best known and best liked men on the Hill. He lettered in golf in 1925—the same year the golf team took first place in the Missouri Valley League.

In the spring of 1925 Lied departed KU for the University of Nebraska when his family moved to Omaha where his father took a position at a car dealership. Lied graduated from UNL and followed in his father’s footsteps, running a successful General Motors dealership in Omaha. In 1944, Lied hired a young assistant, Christina Hixson of Clarinda, Iowa, fresh out of high school who attended Commercial Extension Business School.

Ms. Hixson worked with Mr. Lied until his passing and became the sole trustee of the Lied Foundation Trust. We are truly grateful to Mr. Lied, Ms. Hixson and the Lied Foundation Trust for providing the lead gift to build the Lied Center of Kansas.

See the 25th Anniversary Commemorative Booklet >

- DC's Reflecting Fools
- Dmytro Choni
- KU Symphony Orchestra with special guest Blake Pouliot, violin
- Hiplet Ballerinas
- AIR SUPPLY
- Richard Johnson, piano
- Chris Smither
- Nikki Glaser: The Good Girl Tour
- Terence Blanchard: Film Scores Live!
- JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
- Vienna Boys Choir
- Kuok-Wai Lio, piano
- Annie
- Kit Yan, slam poet
- Pasquale Grasso, guitar
- A Christmas Carol
- The Steps of a Good Man
- Ira Glass
- MEAN GIRLS
- Prairie Winds Festival with The Westerlies
- Ovation! USD 497 Talent Show
- Voices of Service
- Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra
- Leo Kottke, guitar
- Domingo Pagliuca, trombone & Paulina Leisring, piano
- Shane Hennessy
- Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
- Juilliard String Quartet
- KU Jazz Ensemble I with special guest Camila Meza, guitar/vocals
- Mandy Patinkin In Concert: BEING ALIVE
- Tetris–Created by Arch8
- The Pa’akai We Bring—Honolulu Theatre for Youth
- Ivan Renta Duo
- Janice Carissa, piano
- THE BROTHER BROTHERS
- Buddy Guy: Damn Right Farewell with special guest Ally Venable

• Warren Wolf, vibraphone
• Jake Shimabukuro
• The Beach Boys
• Chanticleer
• Yunchan Lim, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist
• Rennie Harris Puremovement
• NORTH: The Musical
• The Moth Mainstage
• Susan Werner
• KU Symphony Orchestra with special guest PROJECT Trio
• The Westerlies
• Mavis Staples
• Fiddler on the Roof
• Paige Hernandez's Liner Notes
• Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius
• Nearly Lear
• Canadian Brass Christmas
• Wayne Escoffery Duo
• Lightwire Theater's A Very Electric Christmas
• April 4th, 1968: Dare to Dream!
• Ovation! USD 497 Talent Show
• Hairspray
• KU Wind Ensemble with special guest Mariam Adam, clarinet
• BLUE MAN GROUP
• Chaeyoung Park, piano
• Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine
• The Black Violin Experience
• Emmet Cohen's Live From Emmet's Place
• Anastasia
• KU Jazz Ensemble I with special guest Michael Dease, trombone
• Take 6
• Martha Redbone
• Dancing Wheels Company
• John Gorka
• Laurie Berkner
• ZOFO
• Marcus & Riza Printup
• Vanessa Thomas: Album Release Concert

The Magic of Bill Blagg Live!
America–50th Anniversary Tour
Amir ElSaffar and the Two Rivers Ensemble
The Mayhem Poets
Tesla String Quartet with special guest Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet
The Simon & Garfunkel Story
KU Symphony Orchestra with special guest Tiempo Libre
The Brian McKnight 4
Maxim Lando, piano
Emmet Cohen Trio
Steep Canyon Rangers
Tetiana Shafran
The Hip Hop Nutcracker
Charenée Wade Quartet
SUMMER: THE DONNA SUMMER MUSICAL
Ovation! USD 497 Talent Show
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Sharon Isbin & Jessica Rivera
KU Wind Ensemble, KU Jazz Ensemble I & Prairie Winds Festival Band with special guest Hiram Diaz, euphonium/trombone/vocals
Robbie Fulks
BEAUTIFUL–The Carole King Musical
Oliver Herbert, solo cello
The Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra
Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
RENT 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour
Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone
KU Jazz Ensemble I with special guest Camille Thurman, tenor saxophone/vocals
New Morse Code
Red Sky Performance: TRACE
KU Percussion Group with special guest Jason Treuting, composer/percussion
Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
Amy Speace
Rosanne Cash

Sherman Irby Duo
Please note that due to the impact of COVID-19, and ensuring public safety, all 2020–21 Lied Center events were held virtually or in a masked and socially-distanced manner outside.

Emmet Cohen Trio, featuring Russell Hall and Kyle Poole
Mwenso & The Shakes
Ashley Davis
Addison Frei
Jazzy Ash
Chaeyoung Park, piano–Virtual Mini-Recitals
Amirah Sackett & MR MiC, hip-hop dance & beatboxing
Ashley Davis Band Winter Solstice–Virtual Show & Album Release
Lied Loves Lawrence Drive-in Movie–The Muppet Christmas Carol
Rock Chalk Suite: The Story Behind the Music with Wynton Marsalis
Ashley Davis: Writing Celtic Music as a Kid from Kansas
Spencer & Rains: Folk Art & Old Time Music
Vanessa Thomas: From Clay Center, Kansas to Carnegie Hall
KU Wind Ensemble with special guest Jens Lindemann, trumpet
Ovation! USD 497 Talent Show
Erin Wood: The Evolution of the Harp
The Wires: Composing for and Making Music as a String Duo
Powwow 101 with Jancita Warrington
KU Powwow & Indigenous Cultures Festival
KU Percussion Group with special guest Thomas Kotcheff, piano
Chaeyoung Park, piano & Sunnat Ibrahim, cello
Allegresse: The Joy of Musical Outreach
*FlamenKcmo* Kansas City ⇄ Sevilla – Building Bridges
Lied Loves Lawrence Pop-Up Performances featuring Ashley Davis, Vanessa Thomas, Quixotic, Spencer & Rains, Kawehi and Ellie LeBar

LIEDership Conversations featuring Vincent Gardner, Chris Crenshaw, Paul Nedzela, Kenny Rampton, Sherman Irby, Andre Kimo Stone Guess, Marcus & Riza Printup, Victor Goines, Sara Villagio, Ashli St. Armant, Dan Nimmer, Freddy Gipp, Amirah Sackett, Paige Cook, Keith Henry Brown, Madisen Pool, Charles Goold, Ashley Davis, Colin Farrell, Dave Curley, Peter Jasso, Casey Mesick Braun, Joshua Miner, Megan Sterling, Sarah McCarthy, Simon Shaw, Mica Thomas, Martha Gage, Lois Orth-Lopes, Mark & Marynell Gleeson, Paige Hernandez and Erik Kaiel
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers
Boz Scaggs: Out of the Blues Tour 2019
Buddy Guy
Gerald Clayton, piano
KU Symphony Orchestra with special guest Juan-Miguel Hernandez, viola
RENT 20th Anniversary Tour
United States Air Force Academy Band: The Falconaires
Kit Yan, slam poet
BLACK VIOLIN: Impossible Tour
Richard Shindell
David Sedaris
Brentano String Quartet with special guest Dawn Upshaw, soprano
The King's Singers
JERSEY BOYS
Melissa Etheridge–The Medicine Show
The Munin Trio
SHE, a Choreoplay
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show
Hiplet Ballerinas
Romero Lubambo, guitar
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL
The Color Purple
Martha Redbone–Bone Hill: The Concert
KU Percussion Group with special guest Eriko Daimo, marimba
Keeping Faith: Sisters of Story
Russian National Ballet: Don Quixote
The Peking Acrobats
Chris Thile

IMPACT Award

As a major university presenter, the Lied Center of Kansas is proud of its 30-year history of engaging internationally renowned artists and more than 100 years of performing arts presenting at the University of Kansas. In its 21st season (2014-15), the Lied Center inaugurated a recognition program to honor one artist or group per season for distinguished service to the performing arts.

Furthermore, the Lied Center of Kansas has partnered with the Lawrence School District (USD 497) in support of arts education for over 20 years. In celebration of this partnership, the Lied Center will also honor one educator per season for distinguished service to arts education. As we all know, every educator has to be creative in the classroom to truly engage their students. There are some, however, who go far beyond the norm and create a space of imagination, creativity and innovation in their classrooms.

Artist

After a season is booked, the Lied Center administration will select up to five artists/groups to be considered for the Lied Center IMPACT Award based upon the criteria below. Each August, all current and former Friends of the Lied board members will vote for one of the nominees via electronic survey. The winning artist will be announced at the Friends of the Lied Annual Dinner in September. The honoree will be presented the award on stage at their Lied Center performance.

Educator

Each fall, the Engagement-Education Director will contact members of the Adventures in Imagination Board and the Lied Center School Ambassadors asking them to make note of possible educators for the upcoming year’s award. Early in the spring semester, the Board and Ambassadors will be asked to send in their nomination for the Creative Educator Award. A slate will be created and voted on by the Adventures in Imagination Board and School Ambassadors. The winning educator will be announced at the Friends of the Lied Annual Dinner in September.The honoree will be presented the award on stage, along with the winning artist, just prior to the winning artist’s Lied Center performance.

Artist

The artist or group who wins this award has made an indelible impact on the performing arts in the following areas:

Leadership. The artist is celebrated for initiating programs or projects that ensure the future of the arts.
Integrity. The artist is committed to the highest artistic standards.
Education. The artist is deeply engaged in performing arts education.
Discovery. The artist is a trailblazer through the creation of new and innovative work.

Educator

The educator who wins this award provides support, encouragement, and inspiration to their students. In addition to providing various arts experiences for their students, this individual is committed to integrating the arts into the classroom curriculum through creative or innovative teaching practices.

2023-24: Terence Blanchard

2022-23: Dancing Wheels Company

2021-22: Emmet Cohen

2019-20: Samuel Ramey

2018-19: Joshua Bell

2017-18: Black Violin

2016-17: Imani Winds

2015-16: Branford Marsalis

2014-15: Wynton Marsalis

Land Acknowledgement

The Lied Center of Kansas at the University of Kansas resides on the ancestral territory of the Kaw, Osage, and Shawnee peoples. It is our responsibility to acknowledge the peoples of these lands, the treaties that were used to remove these tribal nations and the histories of dispossession. We recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of the four federally recognized tribes of Kansas, the Prairie Band Potawatomie, the Kickapoo in Kansas, the Sac and Fox of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska, and the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. This acknowledgment has compelled us to work closely in support of our First Nations Student Association providing support for their annual Powwow, assist in the creation and ongoing work of the Indigenous Cultures Festival and partner with the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission on the Indigenous Arts Initiative.

April 2025
S M T W T F S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930