The Lyric Opera Circle’s Lyric Opera Ball is fortunate to have Diana and Jim Cusser as their honorary chairmen for the 2026 Ball, themed “A Modern Masquerade.” The April 11th affair will be held at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown, and is being chaired by Nicole Browne and Kimberlee Ried.
Diana and Jim bring a sense of love for Our Town’s opera, as well as a sense of humor, and a sense of how flattered and honored they are to have been asked to serve in this role. Diana has enjoyed opera since she was a little girl growing up in Chicago attending the opera with her parents. Jim’s first exposure was in Italy, as he spent a summer there as a young man, and went to Verdi’s classic Aida in an amphitheater – for extra effect. Having both been impressed in their youth, Diana and Jim had an appreciation for opera when they met in Washington, D.C., and brought that with them when they moved to Kansas City in 1992.
Making their home and raising a family in town, they have three grown children, who reside in Kansas City, Austin, and Santa Barbara – all good places for visiting! They have also had time to attend dozens of operas at the Lyric throughout the years, and they are duly impressed with how our local company has grown, expanded, and kept up with the changing times in the arts. Diana is a member of the Lyric Opera Circle, of which Peggy Beal is the current president. It has been the mission of the Circle, since 1987, to support the Lyric through advocacy in the community and to host the Ball each year. Doing so has garnered the Lyric more than $18 million since the Circle’s inception.
The Cussers believe that the Lyric Opera has a bright future, and that the key to continued success is bringing opera to a younger audience every time the opportunity presents itself. “Young people need to see the costumes, the stories, the music, the sets – it is all spectacular,” boasted Diana and Jim. Jim also points out that the Latin saying, “Opus Opera” has a special meaning when applied to actual opera – “work works.” There is so much work in the performance of an opera, with the cost of voice and language lessons, musicians, sets, costumes, and more, that it truly represents one of the great arts of the Western civilization.
Their parting words regarding the Lyric Opera Ball? “Try it! It’s going to be wonderful!” Indeed, it is a wonderful artform and deserves the support of Our Town’s arts enthusiasts, as well as the novices.
Featured in the December 13, 2025 issue of The Independent
Photo credit: Strauss Peyton
