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Aug 22, 2024 | 
kansascity.com | Patrick Neas
Teachers deserve the greatest respect. By imparting their wisdom and experience to their young charges, they profoundly influence the values and direction of society. One teacher who has had a particularly outsized influence on Kansas City's cultural life is Ian Coleman, who is celebrating his 20th anniversary as chair of William Jewell College's performing arts department.
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Aug 15, 2024 | 
kansascity.com | Patrick Neas
The Kansas City Symphony's new music director, Matthias Pintscher, will lead a sendoff concert Aug. 21 before the symphony embarks on a European tour. There really is no argument. The Kansas City Symphony has chosen an absolute winner for its new music director. Matthias Pintscher has sterling credentials both as a composer and as conductor of the world's great orchestras. One waits with bated breath for what he will achieve in Kansas City.
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Aug 1, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Patrick Neas
Village Presbyterian Church is a cultural treasure. Not only does the church serve as a venue for local arts groups like Bach Aria Soloists and the Kansas City Chorale, it also presents its own series of free concerts, making fabulous music available to all. Village is currently searching for a permanent director of music, but principal organist Elisa Bickers and Josh Maize, who are serving as co-interim directors, have put together a terrific series.
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Jul 25, 2024 | 
kansascity.com | Patrick Neas
It takes more than a village to teach a child music in the remote corners of Kenya. In the impoverished countryside where bare necessities are often lacking, it also takes the help of trained musicians like Jamea Sale and the donations of good-hearted folks in Kansas City. Through Sale's training of local Kenyan teachers and the instruments donors are providing, lives are being profoundly changed.
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Jul 18, 2024 | 
kansascity.com | Patrick Neas
The accordion is the Rodney Dangerfield of instruments. It don't get no respect. It's dismissed as a fixture of polka bands, yet most people don't realize how in the hands of a capable player, the accordion can take its place with any other instrument for profound music-making. The accordion will get lots of respect when the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International holds its annual Festival in Kansas City at White Recital Hall from July 23 to 27.
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Jul 4, 2024 | 
kansascity.com | Patrick Neas
Destiny is a strong word, says Ilya Shmukler, the 29-year-old student at Park University's International Center for Music who recently won first place in the Concours Géza Anda. This fearsomely challenging piano competition is held every three years in Zúrich, Switzerland. Although Shmukler's journey from Moscow to Parkville to Zúrich is due to his incredibly hard work and remarkable genius, his life has also seemed to be guided by fate. "Everything was accidental," Shmukler said.
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Jun 23, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Patrick Neas
The artist and songwriter Romare Bearden once wrote, “The rhythms, the personal involvement, all of this is part of the jazz experience.”The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra is calling its newly announced 2024-2025 season “Experiences,” and it’s an apt title. The season encompasses more than just some of the best big-band music around, but also stories of jazz artists old and new, a beloved Christmas TV special, the geekiness of video games and the razzle-dazzle of Tinseltown.
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Jun 20, 2024 | 
kansascity.com | Patrick Neas
Soprano Hannah De Priest, who grew up in St. Joseph and attended William Jewell College, will be the Baroque Consortium's featured soloist on July 19. It's hard for a classical music ensemble to make it in this cold, cruel world, especially when it specializes in a rarefied genre like early music. So special kudos are in order for Kansas City Baroque Consortium as it marks its 15th anniversary.
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Jun 13, 2024 | 
kansascity.com | Patrick Neas
In 2015, Michael Stern, music director of the Kansas City Symphony, issued a challenge to the New York Philharmonic as the Royals played the Mets in the World Series. The Royals won, and the defeated orchestra had to play "Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City." File photo After a remarkable 20-year run as music director of the Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern will conduct his farewell concert with the orchestra June 21 to 23 at Helzberg Hall.
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May 30, 2024 | 
kansascity.com | Patrick Neas
Time flies when you're making great music. The Bach Aria Soloists, one of Kansas City's finest ensembles, will celebrate their 25th anniversary next season, and they've lined up a series that reflects the kind of music they do so well. Lots of music by Bach, of course, but also jazzy improvisations and a concert to celebrate a daft knight-errant. The season begins with a "25th Anniversary Bash" Sept. 27 at the Guild KC in the Crossroads.
