Multiple Tony winner Audra McDonald will perform with Kansas City Symphony next week

To say that Audra McDonald is one of the most accomplished performers of our time would be quite the understatement. This opera and Broadway superstar can do anything and do it with a unique brilliance.

McDonald will perform with the Kansas City Symphony Sept. 15, 16 and 17 at Helzberg Hall. The orchestra will be led by guest conductor Andy Einhorn.

McDonald has been singing and dancing since she was a little girl. After graduating from the arts program at the Theodore Roosevelt High School in Fresno, California, McDonald studied voice at the Juilliard School. By the time she was 28, she had won three Tony Awards, for her roles in “Carousel,” “Master Class” and “Ragtime,” placing her in the rarefied company of Shirley Booth, Gwen Verdon and Zero Mostel, all of whom won three Tonys within five years.

She has, thus far, won a total of six, the most of any performer, in both play and musical categories. And this year she tied for the most Tony nominations, 10, for her leading role in the play “Ohio State Murders.”

McDonald’s career on Broadway is truly one of legend, but her career in opera and classical music is also stellar. She made her opera debut in 2006 singing Poulenc’s daunting “La Voix Humaine.” She regularly sings with orchestras around the world, like the New York Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2008, her recording of Kurt Weill’s “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny” won the Grammy for best classical album.

One would expect that McDonald will give a diverse sampling of her various talents when she appears with the Kansas City Symphony. McDonald has made countless recordings in all genres, both as soloist and as part of cast albums, and they all sound spectacular. But you have to see and hear McDonald in person to get the full measure of her sparkling charisma. This is an opportunity theater and vocal lovers won’t want to miss.

8 p.m. Sept. 15 and 16 and 7 p.m. Sept. 17. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $79-$249. 816-471-0400 or kcsymphony.org.

Midwest Trust Center — New Dance Partners

New Dance Partners is savored every year by lovers of dance, especially those who love new dance. Four of Kansas City’s best ensembles will perform new works by four cutting-edge choreographers Sept. 15 and 16 at the Midwest Trust Center.

The Kansas City Ballet will perform a work by Gina Patterson. Having choreographed over 120 ballets, including the Emmy-winning “Liquid Roads,” Patterson is celebrated for her unique style.

Norbert De La Cruz III, who was born in the Philippines but raised in Los Angeles, created a work for the Owen/Cox Dance Group. The Juilliard-trained choreographer has created works for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Ballet Florida and Nashville Ballet.

Kyra Jean Green is another Juilliard grad. She choreographed a piece for Störiling Dance Theater. Born in France, Green has an impressive resumé, with works that have been performed all over the world. In 2017, she started her own dance company, Trip the Light Fantastic.

And the Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company is getting a new work from Omar Román De Jesús. Born in Puerto Rico, De Jesús has danced with many companies, including Parsons Dance. He’s choreographed for the International Dance Festival of Puerto Rico and the Dance Gallery Festival and was a winner in the Joffrey Academy of Dance’s 8th annual Winning Works Choreographic Competition.

8 p.m. Sept. 15 and 16. 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park. $12-$45. 913-469-4445 or jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center.

You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.