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 {…}
(Photo Credti: Daniel Dittus) The Kansas City Symphony has announced a five-year contract extension for Music Director Matthias Pintscher, keeping him in the role through the 2033-34 season. “The Kansas City Symphony is truly a special and remarkable orchestra with a wide-open mindset, and I feel honored to share a chosen family with them,” Pintscher, whose tenure began in 2024-25, {…}
The Kansas City Symphony has announced that it is in the process of developing plans to build a new live music venue. The proposed project will offer a fresh performance space not just for the orchestra, but for the wider city as well. The orchestra will use the venue for performances that use amplification or other enhanced production formats, and {…}
Kansas City Symphony has announced that Daniel Wiley and Luke Poeppel will be its David T. Beals III Assistant Conductors. Wiley will conduct the Young People’s Concerts, Support School Music conducts, and the upcoming Sept. 28 special presentation with Dionne Warwick. Meanwhile, Poeppel will take on performances of Händel’s “Messiah” as well as children’s concerts, KinderKonzerts, LinkUp, and a special {…}
Kansas City Symphony has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a rundown of the classical vocal performances on offer. There will be performances of Mozart’s Requiem featuring Liv Redpath, Avery Amereau, Andrew Haji, and Neal Davies. Bernard Labadie conducts the showcase, which also includes Schubert’s Fifth Symphony on the program. Performance Dates: Nov. 1 – 3, 2024 Matthias Pintscher conducts works {…}
Kansas City Symphony has announced its first-ever European tour under Matthias Pinscher. Pinscher, who is the company’s incoming Music Director, will take the company to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Hamburg’s Elbsphilharmonie, and Musikfest Berlin. The program in Amsterdam on August 26 will feature works by Ives (“Three Pieces from New England”), Gershwin (“Rhapsody in Blue”), Bernstein (Symphony Dances from “West Side Story”), {…}
Kansas City Symphony has announced that Associate Conductor Gonzalo Farias is leaving the organization after winning the audition to be the next Assistant for the Houston Symphony. Farias, a Chile native, joined the Kansas City Symphony as Assistant Conductor in 2021 and was subsequently selected as Associate Conductor in 2022 following an international search that featured over 120 applicants. “From {…}
Julia Bullock has written an open letter to the Kansas City Symphony following percussionist Josh Jones’ dispute over his denied tenure. The soprano took to social media and said, “To the Kansas City Symphony, Board of Directors, Orchestra Members, and Administration: After two weeks of struggling to understand the ongoing dispute regarding the tenure process of percussionist Josh Jones, I {…}
The Kansas City Symphony has announced the appointment of German-born conductor-composer Matthias Pintscher as its fifth Music Director. Currently, the Music Director of Ensemble Intercontemporain, the world’s foremost contemporary music ensemble, Pintscher will succeed Michael Stern in fall 2024, for an initial term of five seasons. The orchestra noted that the appointment concludes a two-year search that saw the orchestra consider {…}
The Kansas City Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances for the season. Eduardo Strausser conducts the Kansas City Symphony Chorus in a program of music by Arvo Pärt, Giuseppe Verdi, and Robert Schumann. Performance Dates: Nov. 17-19, 2023 Michael Stern and Joyce DiDonato ring in the New Year with a program {…}
The Kansas City Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2023-24 season. For the purpose of this article, we will only focus on vocal performances. Eduardo Strauser conducts Verdi and Schumann with the Kansas City Chorus. Performance Dates: Nov 17-19, 2023 Michael Stern conducts Joyce DiDonato in a program that includes Chen Yi, Charles Ives, Gustav Mahler, Joel Thompson, and Johann Strauss {…}