Visual Music Performance | Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station| Kansas City, MO | 25 September 2026
An immersive convergence of choral music, neuroscience, projection art, and live audience biometrics at the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium
KANSAS CITY, MO – KC VITAs invites audiences to experience choral music in an entirely new way with “In One Mind: A Multisensory Exploration of Neuroarts and Human Connection,” an innovative collaboration bringing together music, neuroscience, visual art, and the human body inside the 360-degree dome of the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station. Led by Dr. Jackson Thomas, conductor and artistic director of KC VITAs, the 24-voice ensemble joins forces with projection artist Evan Tedlock, professor at the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI); Dr. Rebecca Lepping, neuroscientist at the University of Kansas Medical Center; and the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station for a performance that explores the profound ways music permeates human life from identity and memory to emotion, regulation, and our fundamental need for human connection.
No ordinary concert, “In One Mind” transforms the planetarium into an immersive artistic and scientific environment in which sound, light, imagery, and the audience itself become part of the performance. Each work on the program will be paired with unique, specially curated projections by Tedlock, enveloping audiences within the planetarium’s state-of-the-art 360-degree dome. As the projections respond to and reinterpret the music, the traditional boundaries between performer, artwork, venue, and audience will dissolve, inviting each person into an experience that is at once intimate and expansive. Adding another extraordinary dimension to the experience, select audience participants will have the opportunity to be connected to heart monitors during the performance. Their physiological data will be translated into projected visual art in real time, allowing the audience to literally witness research in the making and to see the human body’s response become part of the artistic landscape. The result is an exploration of what happens when art and science meet: What does music do to us? How does it shape what we remember, what we feel, how we regulate ourselves, and how we connect with one another? And what might happen when those responses become visible?
“This is KC VITAs’ third performance concept to come to life at the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium,” says Dr. Thomas. “For KC VITAs, the project represents a natural evolution of its commitment to creating performances that go beyond the traditional concert format. However, partnering with Dr. Lepping and Evan Tedlock has made this program one of the most deeply meaningful and poignant collaborations of which I’ve ever been a part. It is such a rare opportunity to synthesize art and science, but what makes it even more special is the integration of the audience as part of the process. I cannot wait for our attendees to experience this unforgettable event!”
True to KC VITAs’ mission of creating adventurous and meaningful musical experiences “In One Mind” will feature a program of brand-new choral works, including multiple world premieres and music newly composed specifically for this event. Several members of the ensemble will also be featured as soloists. With compositions by a diverse group of composers from around the globe, the program moves through a broad spectrum of musical expression. From the familiar and lyrical to the experimental and avant-garde, “In One Mind” offers something for both seasoned concertgoers and those experiencing contemporary choral music for the first time. “In One Mind” is designed to be accessible to audiences of all ages, promising an hour of beauty, introspection, discovery, and artistic innovation.
Selected Vocal Works:
“MUTUS [ERAT]” – Siebe Thijs
“Butterfly” – Mia Makaroff
“Haiku” – Moira Smiley
“The Sometimes Joy of Reminiscing” – Zachary Ritter
“Fire-Flowers” – Cole Reyes
“I’m so mad I could spit nails” from Titration – Shara Nova
“Atsalums” – Jēkabs Jančevskis
“Close[r] now” Ayanna Woods
“In the Dusk” – Christopher Enloe
Concert Visuals: Evan Tedlock
Music Director: Dr. Jackson Thomas
Neruoscientist: Dr. Rebecca Lepping
Exhibitions
– In One Mind | The Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station | Kansas City, MO | multimedia projection mapping, visual music performance | 50-minutes
