Sam Wisman

As a gathering place for all classical music lovers in Kansas City, Classical KC presents as many upcoming concert seasons by local groups as we can get our hands on.

This week we'll hear the Kansas City Symphony perform Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 102 and Leonard Bernstein's "Serenade," a work composed for Isaac Stern, the legendary violinist and father of co-host Michael Stern. Also, we'll hear a recent performance of Béla Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra."

This week we'll hear Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in C minor as arranged by Edward Elgar. The rest of the program is Gustav Mahler's gargantuan Symphony No. 2, known as "The Resurrection." Mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor shares what excites and scares her about performing the work. And as always, co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies offer insightful background on each composer and composition.

This week, hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies explore a wonderful variety of works. We'll hear an organ concerto by Handel featuring Jan Kraybill, Adolphus Hailstork's 'Baroque Suite,' alongside works by Ferruccio Busoni and David Diamond. On top of all that great music, we'll hear a recent performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's fourth piano concerto featuring pianist Conrad Tao.

KCUR | By Christy L'Esperance, Sam Wisman Published April 11, 2024 at 12:57 PM CDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

The Lyric's Opera To Go program brings live performances to retirement communities across the Kansas City metro. For the residents of these communities, in-person concerts are an experience that can't be replicated by recordings.

After 19 seasons, Michael Stern is stepping down as music director of the Kansas City Symphony, with Matthias Pintscher taking over at the start of the next season. Classical KC spoke with the outgoing maestro and his longtime friend Yo-Yo Ma about Stern's time at the helm and what’s ahead for the orchestra.

KCUR | By Christy L'Esperance, Sam Wisman, Luke X. Martin Published July 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM CDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

As a child, Dana Suesse toured Midwest vaudeville circuits dancing and playing the piano. She would ask the audience for a theme, then create an act of her own out of the challenge. She won a prize for composition from the National Federation of Music at the age of 10.

Nora Holt was the first Black person in the United States to earn a master’s degree in music. A prolific composer of more than 200 musical pieces and a club-hopping socialite, she once wrote a 42-page work for a 100-piece orchestra. But you’ve probably never heard any of it. Scholars have dreamt of finding her stolen manuscripts for nearly a century, according to Classical KC’s Sam Wisman.