Alcott concert series to open with KCK violinist on Saturday

The Alcott Arts Center will open its 2017 concert series with a performance by Matthew Bennett, a concert violinist, on June 10 and 11.

According to Chris Green, executive director at Alcott Arts Center, Bennett is from Kansas City, Kansas, attended Sumner Academy and wants to give back to his community. The concert is a benefit for the Alcott.

Bennett has performed with several orchestras, including the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas City Baroque Consortium, and other orchestras in Kansas, Missouri and Germany.

Performances of “Virtuosity in Improvisional” by Bennett will be at 7 p.m. June 10 and at 2 p.m. June 11 at the Alcott Arts Center, 180 S. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas. There may be a variety of musical styles, with Bennett explaining each one.

Tickets are $20 each and may be purchased online at Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2953974, or tickets may be reserved by calling Alcott and paying at the door with cash or check. There is a service charge when buying tickets online.

The concert is on the top floor of the Alcott Arts Center, which is not ADA accessible.

The concert is sponsored by the Wyandotte Women’s Giving Society of Kansas City, Kansas, and the KC Studio Magazine.

Green said the Alcott Arts Center was the first recipient of a donation from the Wyandotte Women’s Giving Group; the donation is being used to sponsor programs and supplies this year.

Green said two artists will be presenting works in the Alcott gallery on Saturday and Sunday. They are David Fleming and Colleen Cook.

Fleming, a teacher in Raytown, Mo., does comic book and illustrative art. His show is titled, “Prints, Process and Painting.”

Cook, from Kansas City, Kansas, has an exhibit at the Alcott titled “Life Is a Puzzle.” Cook is known for her puzzle art. She assembles a simple puzzle on a base, glues it down, then paints scenes and designs on it in a three-dimensional style.

A reception with the artists will start at 6:30 p.m. June 10. The art exhibits are free and open to the public, and will run through July 1. The Alcott Art galleries are open Wednesdays and Saturday evenings, 6:30 to 8 p.m., throughout the month. The building is not ADA accessible.

For more information, contact the Alcott Arts Center at 913-233-2787.