Calvin Arsenia

About this event

Ten years ago, Calvin Arsenia premiered Catastrophe at recordBar on Grand Boulevard, introducing Kansas City to a theatrical concert vocabulary that would become central to his work: harp, voice, movement, spectacle, storytelling, and a cast of collaborators large enough to make a concert feel more like a small civilization. Since then, Arsenia has become one of Kansas City’s most singular musical figures, voted Kansas City’s Best Musician by The Pitch for eight consecutive years, 2018–2025, while receiving recognition and support from organizations including the Charlotte Street Foundation, ArtsKC, and the Mid-America Arts Alliance. His work has moved between concert halls, fashion runways, theaters, recordings, and film, including the feature-length Summer in Hindsight, for which he contributed original music and performance. \n On Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Arsenia returns to the historic Folly Theater with a seasoned gathering of beloved Kansas City musicians for an evening that looks across a decade of songwriting. Familiar songs will sit alongside new arrangements, offering a portrait of an artist whose work has continued to evolve without losing its appetite for beauty, theater, intimacy, and transcendence. A curated VIP experience will provide an additional, more intimate entry into the evening. Ten years after Catastrophe, the Darling Harpist comes home to the stage that Kansas City built for its most extravagant little secrets. \n

Description from follytheater.org