The Kansas City Symphony has appointed Betsy Burleigh as director of the Kansas City Symphony Chorus.

Burleigh, who currently holds the Thomas R. Kasdorf Professorship in Choral Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, will prepare the 160-voice auditioned volunteer ensemble for performances with Music Director Matthias Pintscher and guide its continued artistic development.

The appointment follows a guest engagement in spring 2026, when Burleigh prepared the chorus for performances of Rachmaninoff’s “Spring” and Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Burleigh’s career has seen her as Music Director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, collaborating extensively with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She has also served as assistant director of choruses for the Cleveland Orchestra, chorus master for Cleveland Opera, and conductor of the Akron Symphony Chorus, Canton Symphony Chorus, Providence Singers, and Chorus pro Musica in Boston.

She has prepared choruses for conductors including Manfred Honeck and Andris Nelsons, and has guest conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, among others.

“Preparing the ensemble for the April performances of Rachmaninoff’s ‘Spring’ was a joy, and I’m thrilled by the opportunity to work with this wonderful chorus, impressive orchestra and inspiring maestro,” Burleigh said, per an official press release.