What weighs over 4,000 pounds and delights thousands of people every week? It’s the Kansas City Symphony’s new outdoor stage-on-wheels, the aptly named Mobile Music Box. At a time when audiences cannot come to indoor venues, the Symphony is taking the music on the road to reach music lovers and families in every corner of the metropolitan area, with the goal of playing for every zip code in the greater metropolitan area.
This brightly wrapped traveling stage is hard to miss, with colorful and expressive original artwork adorning the sides of on-the-go stage. Musicians, meanwhile, are just thrilled to perform in front of live audiences again. “It’s been really rewarding because we feel much closer to the audience this year,” says associate principle double bass Evan Halloin. “A lot of people come with their families and we see a lot of kids. As the orchestra has gotten creative in finding new ways to bring music to the community, we’re finding all of these things that are rewarding for us and rewarding for the audience.”
Most of the upcoming free outdoor concerts on the Symphony’s fall schedule will include the Mobile Music Box. In the first month of this initiative, Symphony musicians have already performed over 50 concerts reaching more than 10,000 people, with many more performances coming through the fall. “It is so moving for our musicians to be performing live music again,” says executive director Danny Beckley.
For a listing of upcoming public performances featuring the Kansas City Symphony’s Mobile Music Box, visit the Symphony online at kcsymphony.org. (Concert attendees are encouraged to social distance and wear masks so that all can enjoy these free concerts safely and without worry. Blankets and folding chairs are encouraged to help make the concert experience more comfortable.)