Kansas City Sinfonietta opens its debut four-concert series with Break the Heart with Joy: a powerful, intimate journey through the emotional landscape of Albert Einstein’s life. Centered on Kevin Puts’s Einstein on Mercer Street, the program traces Einstein’s passionate relationship with his first wife Mileva Marić, the mystery surrounding their missing child, and the haunting legacy of his faint connection to the creation of the atomic bomb.

The evening also features Michael Torke’s Four Proverbs, whose philosophical bite and rhythmic playfulness provide insightful commentary throughout. A whimsical work by Corey Dundee joins brand-new compositions by KCietta’s own James Taylor, Artistic Director Nicholas Perry Clark, and Austin-composer Jordan Walsh infusing the program with vibrant energy and fresh perspective. Together, these pieces explore the tension between joy and sorrow, wonder and loss, breaking the heart so that we may piece it together again renewed.