2025/26 SEASON
PAGE 27
She’s Got Soul PAGE
13
PAGE
19
PAGE
35
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark™ in Concert Chris Thile with the Kansas City Symphony Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in Concert
Helzberg Hall Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Secure your seats today!
Where
Art Meets
Audience Connect with Kansas City’s most devoted arts patrons. For More Information: Christin Painter christin@kcindependent.com 816-471-2800 x218
Published by the The Independent Magazine Rachel Lewis Falcon, Publisher Christin Painter, Dir. of Program Guide Operations BurningStar Studios, LLC , Graphic Design/Production 5201 Johnson Drive, Suite 300 Mission, Kansas 66205
The Kansas City Symphony program guides are a publication of the Performing Arts Division of the Independent Magazine. Information in this publication was carefully compiled to ensure accuracy. However, the publisher does not assume responsibility for accuracy. Editorial program content was provided by the Kansas City Symphony. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.
Catering Confidence ... at no extra charge
GrandmasCatering.com
2025/26
KC Symphony Board of Directors Founded by R. Crosby Kemper, Jr.† in 1982 Board of Trustees established in 1983
Officers Linda Gill Taylor, Chair Kenneth V. Hager, Vice Chair & Secretary/Treasurer Timothy P. Cook, Vice Chair Michael M. Gentry, Vice Chair Jeff Hargroves, Vice Chair Marny Sherman, Vice Chair Directors Dr. Scott S. Boswell Sr. Grant Burcham Susan Chambers Elizabeth Gray Scott Hughes Bebe Kemper Hunt Julian Kaplan Susan Newburger Joseph Nuñez Willy F. Pegues IV Andy Pence Linda S. Stevens Patrick A. Valadez Jesse Yukimura Ex Officio Shirley Bush Helzberg, Chair Emerita Daniel E. Beckley, President and CEO
6
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
Past Board Chairs Paul H. Henson† 1983-85 R. Crosby Kemper, Jr.† 1985-87 Paul H. Henson† 1987-88 George E. Powell, Jr.† 1988-90 David W. Hunerberg 1990-95 Shirley Bush Helzberg 1995-2013 William M. Lyons 2013-19 Patrick McCown 2019-23 † In memoriam
Founding Directors In memoriam
Henry W. Bloch William N. Deramus III George C. Dillon James H. Hale Donald J. Hall Paul H. Henson R. Crosby Kemper, Jr. George E. Powell, Jr. George A. Russell Richard H. Spencer Richard J. Stern Foundation Board of Directors Christine Kemper, President Julia Irene Dennie-Kauffman, Vice President Russell W. Baker, Jr., Secretary/Treasurer Emily Hill David Powell Chris Schumm Linda S. Stevens, Auxiliary Representative Lori Feek, Foundation Coordinator
W W W. M J EW EL RY. C OM
2025/26
KC Symphony Staff Executive
Danny Beckley, President and CEO Young Young Wang, Assistant to the President AJ Harbison, Content Developer and Executive Support Specialist
Production Ben Motter, Chief Production Officer Kate Breytspraak, Director of Artistic Administration Stephanie Brimhall, Director of Education and Community Engagement Justin White, Director of Orchestra Personnel Elena Collins, Assistant Personnel Manager Jenna Dolinger, Production Manager Jackie Esquivel, Orchestra Operations Assistant Annie McPherson, Artist Liaison and Assistant to the Music Director Tyler Miller, Stage Manager Patrick Chamberlain, Artistic Advisor Patrice Sollenberger, Assistant Chorus Director Development Eva James Toia, Chief Development Officer Daniel Morel, Associate Director of Development Nathan Shields, Manager of Leadership Giving Roslinde Rivera, Annual Fund Manager Mark Laverentz, Manager of Corporate Partnerships Marcy Osburn, Donor Information Specialist Katie Jenkins, Donor Engagement and Events Associate Nora Kerwin, Development Operations Associate Xavier Bowling, Special Projects Coordinator 8
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
Finance and HR Sara Lohe, Chief Financial Officer Katy Koepke, Accounting Manager Toni Stock, Senior Accountant Marketing and Sales Julius Lai, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer Hannah Goodwin, Digital Marketing Manager Box Office Stephen Borodkin, Manager of Ticketing Services Sarah Martin, Assistant Manager of Ticketing Services Adeca Chareunsab, Customer Relations Representative Jacob Bross, Customer Relations Representative Catherine Cone, Customer Relations Representative Joanna Ehlers, Customer Relations Representative William Landon, Customer Relations Representative Evan Nelson, Customer Relations Representative
Sick today? Get care today.
Video Visits
Convenient Clinic
See a provider via a mobile device or computer
Common conditions
Urgent Care
Emergency
Non-life-threatening emergencies
Comprehensive care available 24/7
saintlukeskc.org/samedaycare
2025/26
KC Symphony Orchestra Roster MATTHIAS PINTSCHER, MUSIC DIRECTOR FIRST VIOLINS Jun Iwasaki, Concertmaster Miller Nichols Chair Stirling Trent, Associate Concertmaster Sunho Kim, Assistant Concertmaster Anne-Marie Brown Michael Brown Betty Chen Anthony DeMarco Susan Goldenberg* Tomoko Iguchi Dorris Dai Janssen Filip Lazovski∆ Chiafei Lin Vladimir Rykov Alex Shum* SECOND VIOLINS Tamamo Someya Gibbs, Principal Carter Coleman, Associate Principal Kristin Velicer, Assistant Principal Minhye Helena Choi Samuel Frois∆ Mary Garcia Grant Kazato Inouye Rena Ishii Paul Kim Stephanie Larsen Jinyou Lee‡ Sodam Lim Ayrton Pisco VIOLAS MingYu Hsu, Principal Duncan Steele, Associate Principal Jessica Nance, Assistant Principal Kent Brauninger Sean Brumble Marvin Gruenbaum Jenifer Houck Duke Lee Jesse Yukimura
10
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
CELLOS Mark Gibbs, Principal Robert A. Kipp Chair Susie Yang, Associate Principal Richard Hill Chair Alexander East, Assistant Principal Maria Crosby John Eadie Lawrence Figg Sally Kim Meredith McCook Allen Probus DOUBLE BASSES Evan Halloin, Acting Principal Richard Ryan, Acting Associate Principal Nils Aardahl Lena Goodson∆ Joseph Nuñez Keith Wymer∆ FLUTES Michael Gordon, Principal Marylou and John Dodds Turner Chair Shannon Finney, Associate Principal Liz Teplitsky∆ PICCOLO Liz Teplitsky∆ OBOES Kristina Fulton, Principal Shirley Bush Helzberg Chair Alison Chung, Associate Principal Matthew Lengas ENGLISH HORN Matthew Lengas
CLARINETS Javier Morales-Martinez∆, Acting Principal Bill and Peggy Lyons Chair Raymond Santos‡ Trevor Stewart∆, Acting Associate Principal John Klinghammer E-FLAT CLARINET Trevor Stewart∆ BASS CLARINET John Klinghammer BASSOONS Ann Bilderback, Principal Barton P. and Mary D. Cohen Chair Thomas DeWitt, Associate Principal Maxwell Pipinich CONTRABASSOON Thomas DeWitt HORNS David Sullivan, Acting Principal Landon and Sarah Rowland Chair Elizabeth Gray, Acting Associate Principal David Gamble Stephen Multer, Associate Principal Emeritus Benjamin Bacni∆ TRUMPETS Julian Kaplan, Principal James B. and Annabel Nutter Chair Omri Barak^, Associate Principal Shea Kelsay∆ TROMBONES Evelyn Carlson, Principal Porter Wyatt Henderson, Associate Principal Joseph Maiocco^
BASS TROMBONE Joseph Maiocco^ TUBA Joe LeFevre, Principal Frank Byrne Chair TIMPANI Timothy Jepson, Principal Michael and Susan Newburger Chair PERCUSSION David Yoon, Acting Principal Justin Ochoa∆, Associate Principal Adrian and Nancy Kay Hertog Family Chair HARP Chai Lee^, Principal LIBRARIANS Elena Lence Talley, Principal Fabrice Curtis, Associate Principal DAVID T. BEALS III CONDUCTORS Luke Poeppel, Assistant Conductor Daniel Wiley, Associate Conductor Justin White, Director of Orchestra Personnel Elena Collins, Assistant Personnel Manager Tyler Miller, Stage Manager Mark Watson, Assistant Stage Manager Kristina Banton, Lighting Designer * Non-Rotating Musician ^ New Member ‡ On Leave of Absence ∆ One-Year Member
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
11
TICKETS NOW ON SALE • FOLLYTHEATER.ORG
This project is supported in part by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund
HERB AND BONNIE BUCHBINDER
THE ESTATE OF JOAN HUBBARD
RICHARD J. STERN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS, COMMERCE BANK, TRUSTEE
FILM + LIVE ORCHESTRA
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark™ in Concert Thursday through Saturday, January 22-24, 2026 at 7 p.m. Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 2 p.m. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Nicholas Buc, Guest Conductor John Williams
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark Act I Intermission Act II
The 2025/26 season is generously sponsored by SHIRLEY and BARNETT C. HELZBERG, JR. Additional support provided by
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
13
FILM + LIVE ORCHESTRA
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark™ in Concert
Film Credits Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark™ Starring Harrison Ford Karen Allen Paul Freeman Ronald Lacey John Rhys-Davies Denholm Elliott
Story by George Lucas Philip Kaufman
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Music by John Williams
Produced by Frank Marshall
MPAA PG Rating
Executive Producers George Lucas Howard Kazanjian
Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan Today’s performance lasts approximately 2 hours and 19 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission. This film is rated PG. The performance is a presentation of the feature film Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark™ with a live performance of the film’s score. Out of respect for the musicians and your fellow audience members, please remain seated until the conclusion of the end credits. Motion Picture & Artwork © 1981 Lucasfilm Ltd. Concert performed under license from Disney Concerts. Disney Concerts under license from Lucasfilm Ltd and Paramount Pictures.
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
15
FILM + LIVE ORCHESTRA
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark™ in Concert
JOHN WILLIAMS COMPOSER
a career spanning more than six decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and the concert stage. He remains one of our nation’s most distinguished and contributive musical voices. He has composed the music for more than one hundred films, including all nine “Star Wars” films, the first three “Harry Potter” films, “Schindler’s List,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Lincoln,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Superman” and the “Indiana Jones” films. He served as music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra for fourteen seasons and remains their Conductor Laureate. He has composed numerous works for the concert stage including two symphonies and more than a dozen concertos commissioned by some of America’s most prominent orchestras. He has received five Academy Awards and fifty-three Oscar nominations, seven British Academy Awards, twenty-five Grammy® Awards, four Golden Globes and five Emmys. His other honors include the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, an honorary KBE from Queen Elizabeth II, the Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, Spain’s Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts and the Gold Medal from the UK’s prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society.
16
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
NICHOLAS BUC
GUEST CONDUCTOR icholas Buc is a composer, conductor, arranger, violinist and pianist. He studied composition with Brenton Broadstock and Dr. Stuart Greenbaum at the University of Melbourne, where he received the inaugural Fellowship of Australian Composers Award. As the recipient of the Brian May Scholarship for Australian film composers, he completed a master’s degree in Scoring for Film and Multimedia at New York University, studying with Ira Newborn and Paul Chihara as well as receiving the Elmer Bernstein Award for Film Scoring. Continuing his passion for music and film, he conducted the live-inconcert world premieres of John Williams’ “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Hans Zimmer’s “The Lion King” (2019), Alan Menken’s “Beauty and the Beast” (2017), Harry Gregson-Williams’ “Shrek 2,” Nicholas Hooper’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and Alexandre Desplat’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” as well as the North American premiere of John Powell’s “How To Train Your Dragon.” He has conducted all of the major Australian symphony orchestras as well as the Minnesota Orchestra and the Houston, Detroit, San Diego, Seattle, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Austin, Grand Rapids and Madison symphony orchestras in the U.S. He also makes regular appearances in Asia, conducting the Tokyo, Hong Kong, Malaysian, Osaka and Taipei Philharmonic orchestras. As a composer, some of his works have been premiered by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, Australian Voices, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Benaud Trio and Concordis Chamber Choir. He has also written for film and television, with some of his work being screened at festivals and theatres around Australia, Asia and the U.S. He is currently completing work on a major theatrical work, TROT. Written with lyricist Gordon Lindsay, it is a new musical based on Charles Dickens’ much-loved “David Copperfield.” In 2024, his ballet Kazka will make a return to Melbourne for a new staging by Lehenda Ukrainian Dance Company, after touring throughout Australia, Canada and the U.S. in 2015.
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
17
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Chris Thile with the Kansas City Symphony Thursday, February 12, 2026 7:00 p.m. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Eric Jacobsen, Guest Conductor Chris Thile, Mandolin and Vocals Kansas City Symphony Chorus Alex Sopp, Vocal Soloist, Attention! Stirling Trent, Violin David Stevens, Trap Kit Player, Attention! The 2025/26 season is generously sponsored by SHIRLEY and BARNETT C. HELZBERG, JR. Additional support provided by
18
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
Antonín Dvořák
Carnival Overture, op. 92
Caroline Shaw
And So Chris Thile, mandolin
J.S. Bach
Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins and String Orchestra, BWV 1043 III. Allegro Stirling Trent, violin Chris Thile, mandolin
Samuel Barber
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 14 III. Presto in moto perpetuo Chris Thile, mandolin
Intermission Chris Thile
ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra 1. Attention 2. Lord Starbucks 3. The Rooftops 4. Carrie Freaking Fisher Chris Thile, mandolin Alex Sopp, vocalist Kansas City Symphony Chorus
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
19
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Chris Thile with the Kansas City Symphony ERIC JACOBSEN
GUEST CONDUCTOR lready well-established as one of classical music’s most exciting and innovative young conductors, Eric Jacobsen combines fresh interpretations of the traditional canon with cutting-edge collaborations across musical genres. Hailed by the New York Times as “an interpretive dynamo,” Eric, as both a conductor and a cellist, has built a reputation for engaging audiences with innovative and collaborative programming. Eric is music director at both the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, where he continues to pioneer programming and community engagement in new and exciting directions. Eric was also recently named the principal guest conductor of the Classical Tahoe Musical Festival. Eric is also artistic director and co-founder of The Knights, the uniquely adventurous NYC-based chamber orchestra. The ensemble, founded with his brother, violinist Colin Jacobsen, grew out of latenight music reading parties with friends, good food and drink and conversation. Current endeavors include a residency at Carnegie Hall and an extensive recording collection, including albums with longtime collaborators Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham, Aaron Diehl, Gabe Kahane, and Anna Clyne. A frequent guest conductor, Eric has established continuing relationships with the Colorado Symphony, Detroit Symphony, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and the Dresden Musikfestspiele. Recent and upcoming engagements also include concerts with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Grant Park Music Festival, Utah Symphony and Atlanta Symphony. Eric brings joy, storytelling and a touch of humor to what he describes as “musical conversations” that delight audiences around the world, including those who do not traditionally attend classical music concerts. He is married to Grammy® Award-winner singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan and together they have a daughter.
20
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
CHRIS THILE
MANDOLIN AND VOCALS cclaimed Grammy® Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and MacArthur Fellow recipient of the prestigious “Genius Grant”, Chris Thile is a multifaceted musical talent, described by The Guardian as “that rare being: an all-round musician,” and hailed by NPR as a “genre-defying musical genius.” Thile is a founding member of the highly influential string bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and has collaborated with countless luminaries from Yo-Yo Ma to Fiona Apple to Brad Mehldau. For four years, Thile hosted public radio favorite Live from Here with Chris Thile (formerly known as A Prairie Home Companion). With his broad outlook, Thile creates a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike, giving the listener “one joyous arc, with the linear melody and vertical harmony blurring into a single web of gossamer beauty” (New York Times). Over the last couple of years, Thile toured with Nickel Creek in support of the critically acclaimed 2023 release Celebrants. Most recently, he has been captivating audiences with a playfully ambitious biographical composition entitled ATTENTION! (a narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra), and has been focused on the production of a new musical variety show, “The Energy Curfew Music Hour.” Created with Claire Coffee and featuring Punch Brothers, Season One is available on all podcast platforms, with Season Two exclusively out on Audible. The wide-ranging program of Thile’s 2025-2026 solo performances will feature selections from his acclaimed solo recordings of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas — including the upcoming second volume out this autumn — alongside his signature post-genre blend of compositional rigor, folksy stagecraft, and improvisational brilliance.
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
21
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Chris Thile with the Kansas City Symphony
Program Note A NOTE FROM CHRIS THILE adore orchestras. Whether scaled up for grandeur, or down for intimacy, nothing makes me prouder to be human than hearing a stage full of highly skilled orchestral musicians practicing their craft together. It’s magic, and it’s something I’ve been desperate to participate in since the early aughts, when a hero of mine, Edgar Meyer, walked me through the score of a violin concerto he wrote for another hero of mine, Hilary Hahn. In the late aughts I wrote a mandolin concerto, but after performing it quite a bit for a year or so with some truly lovely orchestras, I realized that it was basically the musical equivalent of fan fiction (like I’m tempted to rename it “Bartok meets Adés for coffee at Edgar’s”). So, I went back to admiring orchestral music from afar, even as I continued to monitor my inner ear for something that might justify another attempt. A year or two ago, a tantalizing text from my pal, Eric Jacobsen (“Thile, whatever you wanna do with orchestra, we can make it happen!”), prompted more proactive monitoring and I started hearing bits of what would eventually become ATTENTION! I was confused at first, ’cause these little aural visions included not just mandolin and orchestra, but singing AND talking as well. Whoa, ok…FUN. Further dreaming led to the conviction that there should be an actual STORY, not just loosely related vignettes (which has pretty much been my MO on long form pieces with vocals up to this point). But WHAT story? I’ve always loved writing songs based on short stories, so I started there, widened the search to essays, then read a bunch of plays, but every time I got excited about something, a nagging little voice (probably remembering my last orchestral piece) would say “Yeah, but why would YOU be the one to musicalize this story?” Ugh. Fair. Ok, fine then: what is a story I like to tell about something that
22
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
happened to me that my friends seem to like hearing? Ah HA! THIS ONE, hands down, no contest. If you’ve ever had a couple rounds with me at a good cocktail bar, chances are I’ve trotted it out, and the thought of turning it into a piece of orchestral music got my inner ear cranking like never before. It’s a ridiculous story, but it’s 100% true, and the more I’ve worked on the telling of it, the more aware I’ve become of what a profound impact the whole experience had on me as a person who loves to make things and show them to other people. You can find the lyrics at christhile.com/attention, but I recommend only using it when my diction isn’t up to snuff (I’m working on it, swear to God!). Now, if you’ll just give me your attention ...
ABOUT ATTENTION!
ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra 1. Attention 2. Lord Starbucks 3. The Rooftop 4. Carrie Freaking Fisher Chris Thile, Mandolin and Vocals Claire Coffee, Director
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
23
VIENNA BOYS CHOIR
PURCHASE TICKETS FOR OUR 2025-26 SEASON!
THE WESTERLIES
© 2025 CD PROJEKT S.A.
OPUS 76 QUARTET
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
JCCC.EDU/MTC / Box Office: 913–469–4445 / M–F / 10 AM–5 PM
Visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum Best Historic Small Town by USA TODAY (2025)
Top 10 True Western Town of the Year by True West Magazine (2025)
Best Presidential Attraction by Newsweek (2025)
AmericaLikesAbilene.com
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Chris Thile with the Kansas City Symphony
About the Kansas City Symphony Chorus The Kansas City Symphony Chorus is a 160-voice ensemble that continues its long tradition of excellence serving as “the choral voice of the Kansas City Symphony.” The Symphony Chorus has been offering quality choral music to the greater Kansas City metropolitan area since the early 1960s, first as the Mendelssohn Choir and then as the Civic Chorus. After the creation of the Kansas City Symphony, the Symphony Chorus assumed its current name and role as the Symphony’s “choral voice” in 1988. The Symphony Chorus has represented Kansas City in five concert tours, including performances in New York City, Boston, the Berkshires, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Mexico where it performed with the Mexico City Symphony. The Symphony Chorus women recorded Holst’s The Planets with the Kansas City Symphony in January 2015. The Kansas City Symphony Chorus musicians are all volunteers from the region’s extensive musical community selected through rigorous auditions. Members have rich backgrounds in both music education and performance, and are engaged as soloists and conductors in schools, churches and venues throughout the region.
Kansas City Symphony Chorus Roster Emily Butler, Soprano Sofia Gillespie, Soprano Kirsten Oelklaus O’Brien, Soprano Maria Rangel-Flemmer, Soprano Lynne Beebe, Alto Briana Carrillo, Alto Svetlana Mitchell, Alto Carolyn Welch, Alto Sarah Zung, Alto
Ryan Flemmer, Tenor Keith Florea, Tenor Casey Morgan, Tenor David Sutherland, Tenor Bert Dothage, Bass Bruce Everett Douglas, Bass Jonathan Hinderks, Bass Sheldon Vogt, Bass
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
25
YOUR EVENT VISIONS COME TO LIFE AT UNITY VILLAGE
Versatile indoor and outdoor spaces for intimate conversations or large-scale events, within an inclusive and accessible environment. Explore our trails, gardens, fountains, and labyrinth. Stay at our full-service hotel, with free parking and a scenic 9-hole golf course. At Unity Village, we’re committed to helping you host unforgettable events.
Ask about the new R.D. Goppert Event Center
Learn more at unityvillage.org/events 1901 NW Blue Pkwy., Unity Village, MO 64065
POPS SERIES
She’s Got Soul Friday and Saturday, February 13-14, 2026 at 8 p.m. Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 2 p.m. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Luke Poeppel, David T. Beals III Assistant Conductor Capathia Jenkins, Vocalist Rajdulari, Background Vocalist Randy Chalmers, Background Vocalist Sydney Brooke Harper, Background Vocalist Selections will be announced from the stage. There will be an intermission. The 2025/26 season is generously sponsored by SHIRLEY and BARNETT C. HELZBERG, JR. Friday’s performance is sponsored by JILL INGRAM REYNOLDS Additional support provided by
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
27
POP SERIES
She’s Got Soul LUKE POEPPEL
DAVID T. BEALS III ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR merican German conductor and pianist Luke Poeppel is currently the David T. Beals III Assistant Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony. He recently served as associate conductor for Cerrone and Fleischmann’s opera In A Grove at the 2025 Prototype Festival, stepping in to conduct the full run of performances, which received critical acclaim from such outlets as the New York Times, Observer and Financial Times. In summer 2025, Poeppel conducted In A Grove with Opera Saratoga, as well as served as the assistant conductor for Tosca and Sunday in the Park with George at the Glimmerglass Festival. With the Kansas City Symphony, in the 2024/25 season he conducted performances featuring Cody Fry and Project Trio, a series of KinderKonzerts co-hosted by KMBC’s Bryan Busby and a “Back to the 80s” pops concert. Other recent engagements include the Reno Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Modern (in Frankfurt, Germany), Orchestra of the League of Composers, Washington Square New Music Ensemble, Exceptet Ensemble and Rochester Summer Opera. Poeppel has served as a cover conductor for orchestras and ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Signal and Contemporaneous. In the 2025/26 season, Poeppel makes his debut with the Grossman Ensemble in Chicago. Based in New York City, Poeppel is a 2024 graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he received his master’s degree in conducting. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from New York University. He is the recipient of a 2025 Career Assistance Award from The Solti Foundation U.S
28
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
CAPATHIA JENKINS VOCALIST
apathia Jenkins can definitely act but all those who know her also know that this diva can blow and blow and blow you right off this planet. This woman grapples with two dueling passions, each with a strong grip: acting and music. Yet she refuses to pick one because they both represent her soul. Capathia approaches a song the same way she approaches a script, like an artist. She asks herself: What am I trying to say? What do I want my audience to experience with me? She wants to take her audience on a journey. This Brooklyn-born and raised actress most recently starred as Medda in the hit Disney production of Newsies on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in The Civil War, where she created the role of Harriet Jackson. She then starred in the Off-Broadway 2000 revival of Godspell. She returned to Broadway in The Look of Love and was critically acclaimed for her performances of the Bacharach/David hits. Jenkins then created the roles of The Washing Machine in Caroline, or Change and Frieda May in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, where she sang “Stop the Show” and brought the house down every night. In 2007 she went back to Off-Broadway and starred in (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. She was also seen in Nora Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore. An active concert artist, Jenkins has appeared with orchestras around the world including the Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony (with Marvin Hamlisch), National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, San Diego Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic. Her television credits include “30 Rock,” “The Practice,” “Law & Order SVU,” “The Sopranos” and “Law & Order.” She can be heard on the film soundtracks of “Nine,” “Chicago” and “Legally Blonde 2.”
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
29
POP SERIES
She’s Got Soul
Musician Bios RAJDULARI, Background Vocalist
Rajdulari is a chart-topping jazz/soul vocalist and actor based in New York City. Her latest album “Journey of a Woman” reached Billboard’s Top 100 in R&B and held the #1 spot on UK’s Soul chart for over three weeks. Hailed as one of Soultrain.com’s “Best of What’s Next” artists, Rajdulari is now in the process of recording her third album under her own independent label. Rajdulari’s recent engagements include “She’s Got Soul” with the Cleveland Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic and Asheville Symphony; “Aretha: A Tribute” with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra at Red Rocks Amphitheater, San Francisco Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Utah Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Anchorage Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Wichita Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Southwest Symphony and West Michigan Symphony; and “ICON: The Voices that Changed Music” with the Houston Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Reno Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Helena Symphony, Anchorage Symphony, Princeton Symphony, Pensacola Symphony and Ann Arbor Symphony. Having toured worldwide, Rajdulari continues to grace the music industry with her empowering lyrics and soulful and revolutionary performances nationwide. Her charming charisma accompanied by her rich, passionate vocals give her an unforgettable presence on stage. For more info, visit www.rajdulari.com.
30
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
RANDY CHALMERS, Background Vocalist
Randy Chalmers is a Henry Award nominated performer, known for his “buttery” tone and multiple turns as Seaweed J. Stubbs in Hairspray. Randy’s recent and upcoming symphony orchestra engagements include “She’s Got Soul” with the Cleveland Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic and Asheville Symphony; and “Aretha: A Tribute” with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra at Red Rocks Amphitheater, San Francisco Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Utah Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Anchorage Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Wichita Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Southwest Symphony and West Michigan Symphony. His other credits include Narrator/El Gallo in The Fantasticks and Lead Vocalist in Ain’t Misbehavin’, both at Town Hall Arts Center, Lola (understudy) in Kinky Boots at the Arvada Center for the Arts, Frank in Dreamgirls at the Lone Tree Arts Center, Ozie/ Ruby in The Scottsboro Boys at Vintage Theatre, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at TheatreWorks, Man 1 in Songs for A New World at Aurora Fox Arts Center and Ronnie in Totally Awesome 80s Ski Town, USA at Breckenridge Backstage Theatre.
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
31
POP SERIES
She’s Got Soul
Musician Bios (Cont.) SYDNEY BROOKE HARPER Background Vocalist
Sydney Brooke Harper is the owner and lead instructor of Harper Arts, a private performing arts coaching business based in Denver, and is a mama to her two wonderful daughters, Cecily and Penny Lane. Sydney’s recent and upcoming symphony orchestra engagements include “She’s Got Soul” with the Cleveland Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic and Asheville Symphony; “Aretha: A Tribute” with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra at Red Rocks Amphitheater, San Francisco Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Utah Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Anchorage Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Wichita Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Southwest Symphony and West Michigan Symphony; “Holiday Celebration” with Wyoming Symphony; and “Music of Selena” with Colorado Symphony, performing with Al Green and the Colorado Symphony at Red Rocks. Recent credits include “Holiday Seó na Nollag: A Celtic Christmas Celebration” (Irish Dance Theatre), “Shuffle” with Scott O’Neil and the Rosetta Music Society, Seussical at Stapleton on the Green (Mayzie La Bird/Music Director), “Broadway Sings!” with the Highlands Ranch Community Association, and Denver Night (Tragedy on the Sea Nymph, Liliana Porter). Sydney holds a BFA in Music Theatre, a BA in Spanish Translation and Interpretation from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and an MA in International Studies from the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies.
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
33
“Where Words Fail, Music Speaks” - Hans Christian Anderson
. . . and so does Fine Jewelry
Lilliane’s THE
JOY OF JEWELRY
A Kansas City Original Since 1965
34
9437 Mission Leawood, KS • 913.383.3376 • lillianesjewelry.com 2025/26 Season Rd | kcsymphony.org
FILM + LIVE ORCHESTRA
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in Concert Thursday, Friday and Saturday, February 19-21, 2026 at 7 p.m. Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 2 p.m. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Justin Freer, Guest Conductor John Williams
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Act I Intermission Act II
The 2025/26 season is generously sponsored by SHIRLEY and BARNETT C. HELZBERG, JR. Additional support provided by
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
35
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in Concert JUSTIN FREER
GUEST CONDUCTOR merican composer/conductor Justin Freer was born and raised in Huntington Beach, CA. He has established himself as one of the West Coast’s most exciting musical voices and is a highly soughtafter conductor and producer of film music concerts around the world. Freer began his formal studies on trumpet, but quickly turned to piano and composition, composing his first work at 11 and giving his professional conducting debut at 16. Continually composing for various different mediums, he has written music for worldrenowned trumpeters Doc Severinsen and Jens Lindemann and continues to be in demand as a composer and conductor for everything from orchestral literature to chamber music around the world. He has served as composer for several independent films and has written motion picture advertising music for some of 20th Century Fox Studios’ biggest campaigns including Avatar, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Aliens in the Attic. As a conductor Freer has appeared with some of the most well-known orchestras in the world including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra. He is also one of the only conductors to have ever conducted in both the ancient Colosseum and Circus Maximus in Rome. Renowned wind conductor and Oxford Round Table Scholar Dr. Rikard Hansen has noted that, “In totality, Freer’s exploration in musical sound evokes moments of highly charged drama, alarming strife and serene reflection.” Freer has been recognized with numerous grants and awards from organizations including ASCAP, BMI, the Society of Composers and Lyricists and the Henry Mancini Estate. He is the Founder and President of CineConcerts, a company dedicated to the preservation and concert presentation of film, curating and conducting hundreds of full length music score performances live with film for such wide ranging titles as Rudy, Gladiator, The Godfather, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, It’s a Wonderful Life, and the entire Harry Potter film franchise. Mr. Freer earned both his B.A. and M.A. degrees in Music Composition from UCLA, where his principal composition teachers included Paul Chihara and Ian Krouse. In addition, he was mentored by legendary composer/conductor Jerry Goldsmith.
36
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
JOHN WILLIAMS COMPOSER
a career spanning more than six decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage, and he remains one of our nation’s most distinguished and contributive musical voices. He has composed the music and served as music director for more than one hundred films, including all nine Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Memoirs of a Geisha, Far and Away, The Accidental Tourist, Home Alone and The Book Thief. His 50-year artistic partnership with director Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler’s List, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones films, Munich, Saving Private Ryan, The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse, Lincoln, The BFG, The Post and The Fabelmans. His contributions to television music include scores for more than 200 television films for the groundbreaking, early anthology series Alcoa Theatre, Kraft Television Theatre, Chrysler Theatre and Playhouse 90, as well as themes for NBC Nightly News (“The Mission”), NBC’s Meet the Press, and the PBS arts showcase Great Performances. He also composed themes for the 1984, 1988, and 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. He has received five Academy Awards and fiftythree Oscar nominations, making him the Academy’s most-nominated living person and the second-most nominated person in the history of the Oscars. He has received seven British Academy Awards (BAFTA), twenty-five Grammys, four Golden Globes, five Emmys, and numerous gold and platinum records. In 2003, he received the Olympic Order (the IOC’s highest honor) for his contributions to the Olympic movement. He received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in December of 2004. In 2009, Mr. Williams was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and he received the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the U.S. Government. In 2016, he received the 44th Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute – the first time in their history that this honor was bestowed upon a composer. In 2020, he received Spain’s Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts as well as the Gold Medal from the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society in the UK, and in 2022 he was awarded an honorary knighthood of the British Empire as one of the final awards approved by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In January 1980, Mr. Williams was named nineteenth music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra, succeeding the legendary Arthur Fiedler. He currently holds the title of Boston Pops Laureate Conductor which he assumed following his retirement in December 1993 after fourteen highly successful seasons. He also holds the title of Artist-in-Residence at Tanglewood. Mr. Williams has composed numerous works for the concert stage, among them two symphonies, and concertos commissioned by several of the world’s leading orchestras, including a cello concerto for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a bassoon concerto for the New York Philharmonic, a trumpet concerto for The Cleveland Orchestra, and a horn concerto for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, the Boston Symphony premiered his concerto for harp and orchestra entitled “On Willows and Birches”, and in the same year, Mr. Williams composed and arranged “Air and Simple Gifts” especially for the first inaugural ceremony of President Barack Obama. In 2021, Williams premiered his second violin concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood along with soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter, for whom he composed the work.
kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
37
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in Concert
About CineConcerts
CineConcerts is one of the leading producers of live and digital music experiences performed with visual media, and continues to redefine entertainment. Founded by Producer/Conductor Justin Freer and Producer/Writer Brady Beaubien, CineConcerts will engage over 4.8 million people worldwide in concert presentations in over 3,000 scheduled performances in 48 countries through 2025, and recently launched CineConcerts +PLUS — a global digital network and app suite with hundreds of exclusive podcast episodes and produced content. CineConcerts continues to work with some of the most prestigious orchestras and venues in the world including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and more. Recent and current live and digital concert experiences include Elf in Concert, The Pinball Concert (Digital), The Polar Express in Concert, Rudy in Concert, The Passion of the Christ in Concert, The Da Vinci Code in Concert, The Harry Potter Film Concert Series, Gladiator Live, The Godfather Live, It’s a Wonderful Life in Concert, DreamWorks Animation In Concert, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert Tour, Breakfast at Tiffany’s in Concert, and A Christmas Dream Live.
About Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment (WBDGTE), Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment (WBDGTE), part of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Brands and Experiences, is a worldwide leader in the creation, development, and licensing of location-based entertainment, live events, exhibits, and theme park experiences based on the biggest franchises, stories and characters from Warner Bros.’ film, television, animation, and games studios, HBO, Discovery, DC, Cartoon Network and more. WBDGTE is home to the groundbreaking locations of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks around the world, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, The WB Abu Dhabi, The FRIENDS Experience, The Game of Thrones Studio Tour and countless other experiences inspired by the Wizarding World, DC, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, FRIENDS and more. With best-in-class partners, WBDGTE allows fans around the world to physically immerse themselves inside their favorite brands and franchises. All characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR.
38
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
BE LIKE BRYAN: Join the organ, eye and tissue donor registry.
Bryan Busby
Chief Meteorologist and Green Ribbon Champion
The medical team stood ready to give my goddaughter a heart. It never came. In September 2021, my beautiful petite, 20-year-old dancer goddaughter’s body would wait no more. I was devastated. For several weeks, I had watched the care team treat Helena Francine Nicole like a queen. For many years, I have been a registered donor and advocate — asking friends, colleagues and viewers to consider doing the same. But this personal loss hit me hard. Her loss has me doubling down on my efforts to ensure no one else is ever in our position. All I felt was sadness because the question of “how to save a life” should have been easy to answer. However, we lost Helena simply because of the lack of a suitable heart. Spare another family the grief and pain and join the donor registry. – Bryan Busby
Join the organ, eye and tissue donor registry:
ShareLifeMidwest.com
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in Concert
Film Credits “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” Directed by Chris Columbus Produced by David Heyman Written by Steve Kloves Based on “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by J.K. Rowling Music by John Williams Cinematography by Roger Pratt Edited by Peter Honess Produced by Heyday Films, 1492 Pictures Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson Kenneth Branagh John Cleese Robbie Coltrane Warwick Davis Richard Griffiths Richard Harris Jason Isaacs Alan Rickman Fiona Shaw Maggie Smith Julie Walters
CineConcerts Staff Justin Freer President/Founder/Producer Brady Beaubien Co-Founder/Producer Andrew P. Alderete Chief XR Officer/ Head of Publicity and Communications Andrew McIntyre Director of Operations Senior Brittany Fonseca Marketing Manager Si Peng Senior Social Media Manager
40
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
WME Worldwide Representation JoAnn Kane Music Service Music Preparation Justin Moshkevich, Igloo Music Studios Sound Remixing
KC’s Most Trusted
Gynecologic Cancer Team
At AdventHealth, we’re proud to be the number one trusted gynecologic cancer team in Kansas City. From next-day appointment times for newly diagnosed patients to stateof-the-art procedures, you can count on KC’s leader in women’s health to be with you every step of the way. Learn more at CancerCareKC.com
We are Missouri’s
TOP MED SCHOOL FOR PRIMARY CARE
KANSASCITY.EDU
2025/26
About the Kansas City Symphony only its 43rd season, the Kansas City Symphony has already become one of America’s most vibrant major orchestras and has gained national and international recognition. With the 2024/25 season, the Symphony welcomed conductor and composer Matthias Pintscher as its new music director. Pintscher regularly conducts many of the world’s best orchestras and opera companies and ranks as one of the world’s foremost composers of orchestral music. Continually creating live music experiences in Helzberg Hall, located in the prestigious Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Symphony serves Kansas City’s metro population of more than 2.2 million people as well as welcoming visitors from around the globe. The Symphony’s 80 full-time musicians from around the world bring a diverse and dynamic range of musical experiences to our audiences in both orchestral and chamber music formats each season. In addition to concerts in Helzberg Hall, Symphony musicians perform throughout the region on our portable stage, the Mobile Music Box. The Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, adding to the rich cultural experiences that these organizations offer to the community. Top international soloists perform with the Kansas City Symphony every season, including brilliant classical musicians, popular singer/ songwriters, rock bands and other creative performers. The Symphony also performs live soundtracks for a variety of fan-favorite films, with the movie projected on a giant screen above the stage. Music connects us; it has the unique ability to draw us closer to our inner selves and also closer to one another, transcending our differences. Every Kansas City Symphony concert will take you on an emotional journey — a journey that’s deeply personal but also a journey that we all experience together as one. We’re happy you are here. We are your Kansas City Symphony.
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
please visit kcsymphony.org kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
43
SUPPORTERS
Symphony Society Contributors The list of individual contributors includes gifts of $2,500 or more received during our 2024/25 season. George and Wendy Powell ◊ Wallace and Mary Fern Souder Randy and Mary Ann St. Clair Anonymous (2) Anonymous Jonathan and Virginia and Charles Clark Phil and Alice Bixby Meredith Sternberg Paul DeBruce and The Brandmeyer Family Linda S. Stevens ◊ Linda Woodsmall-DeBruce / Marian Wood Bump Robert M. Suhre ◊ The DeBruce Foundation Grant and Wendy Burcham Bill and Marilyn Taylor ◊ Barnett and Shirley Helzberg ◊ Kenny and Sherrie Burgess Marilyn McConnell Susan and Charles Chambers Steve and Linda Taylor ◊ Melanie and Michael A. Waterford Tim Cook H. Wayne Thompson, Jr. Curtis and Lillian Cooper Ann Marie Trask William and Dorothy Curry Marylou Turner ◊ COMPOSER’S CIRCLE Paul and Lynn Douthat ($50,000 to $99,999) John M. and Mary Ann Edgar / Chasitie and Michael Walden / Burgess Family Foundation Ann Baum / Edgar Law Firm LLC Connie Walker G. Kenneth and Howard and Anne Elsberry Daniel Walker ◊ Ann Baum Philanthropic Fund Warren and Jenny Erdman
MAESTRO’S CIRCLE ($100,000 and Above)
BRAVURA CIRCLE ($12,500 to $29,999)
Web and Tracy Bixby J.B.† and Anne Hodgdon Min and Fan Kao Mr.† and Mrs. Stuart Knutson Bill and Peggy Lyons ◊ Lorraine Martin ◊ Jean and Tom McDonnell Virginia Merrill† Gary C. Robb and Anita Porte Robb Betty C. Scott ◊ Dana Seeley Vera and Mike† Seeley John and Marny Sherman Kent Sunderland
Sue Ann and Richard Fagerberg Michael D. Fields ◊ Bill and Christy Gautreaux Michael and Sara Gentry Kenneth and Marilyn Hager Donald Hall, Sr.† Hargroves Family Foundation Charles and Barbara Haviland Dr. Sara Hicks and Mr. Michael O’Connell Liz and John Hjalmarson Grace G. and Dr. James M. Hobbs II Ellen and Irv Hockaday ◊ Chris and Adele Hodgdon ◊ Sharon and John Hoffman Rod and Susan Kelley Kirk Foundation / Judy Kirk Carol and John Kornitzer Daniel and Jan Lewis Carl Manning and Dana Fields Ford and Christine Maurer Pat and Beth McCown Mike and Jan McGraw John and Jackie Middelkamp Edward P. Milbank Sue and Lewis Nerman Lyman and Sally Ott ◊ Dr. Ron and Donna Patton ◊
MUSICIAN’S CIRCLE ($30,000 to $49,999)
June Beaver David A. Cooley, M.D. J. Scott Francis, Discretionary Fund / Francis Family Foundation Michael and Marlys Haverty Joan Horan ◊ Michael† and Susan Newburger ◊ Betsy Piebenga Charlotte and Bob Ronan ◊
44
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
CRESCENDO CIRCLE ($6,000 to $12,499)
Anonymous (3) M. Wayne Alexander and John W. Braum ◊ Scott and Bernadette Ashcraft Sara and Stephen Balawajder Brian and Jennifer Blake Dr. Carol Blum and Mr. Steven Wilson Dr. Valerie Chow and Judge Jon R. Gray (ret) Martha Comment Bunni and Paul Copaken Robert Cross Uta Cross Michael and Diane Dark Richard and Maureen Durwood Foundation Michael and Melanie Fenske Byron and Dana Fink Shelly Freeman and Kimberly Jones Suzanne Frisse ◊ Marilyn A.W. and Norman E. Gaar, Esq.† ◊ Jacob Gerson James Gerson
John and Lynn Gerson David and Meg Swant Vicki and Harold James Levi and Emily Gerson Sven and Julia Sykes Allen and Carol Jenks Gregory E. Gille Ursula Terrasi and Jim Miller ◊ Dick and Sandy Jones Peter and Chris Godfrey Mary and Al Tikwart Dr. Newton Jones and Myonza Gray Robert and Merrill Walz ◊ Mr. James Corrick Edmund and Michiko Gross Gena and Steven Williams Dr. Robert Klein Christopher and John and Karen Yungmeyer Norman and Marsha Haufler Margaret Kressmann ◊ James Heryer and Dr. Barbara Lukert and Annette Evans OVERTURE CIRCLE Estate of Mary Stoskopf Heidelmann Jackson ($3,500 to $5,999) Martha, Greg, and Family Fund / Anonymous Terri Maddux Kelda Jackson and Patty Aenchbacher Pete and Michelle Mirakian Georg Heidelmann Mr. and Mrs. James Andrews Pam and Jim Nolan Kim and Ted Higgins Richard and Emily Ballentine Edward and Chris Null Bill and Irma Lou Hirsch Leonard and Irene Bettinger Christopher and Megan Olvera Amy and Paul Holewinski Philanthropic Fund of the Nancy Panzer-Howell Linda Houston Foundation Jewish Community Willy Pegues and Beth Ingram Foundation of Hayat Abdullahi Roger and Sandy Jackson Greater Kansas City Leslie Pfriem Tom and Madeline Johnson Doug and Cindy Brown Patricia Raffel Steve Joss ◊ Wendy and Troy Burgess ◊ Reses Apfel Family / Nancy L. Kain ◊ Mary Canham Jacqueline D. Reses Dr. Andrew Kao Robert L. Claassen Fred and Susan Reynolds ◊ Julie Kemper Foyer and Donna Gould Cohen Scott and Beth Riekeman Jean-Charles Foyer Jane and George Cornwell Michelle and Chuck Ritter Bruce and Janet Kernes Dr. and Lisa and Charles Schellhorn Kirk Foundation Mrs. Thomas P. Cummings Randy Sedlacek and James C. Kogel ◊ Nancy Doty Davis Mary Ventura Mordy Kopperman Cary and Pam DeCamp Clarence E. Simmons, Jr. William Kornitzer and Steven DeWilde and Joe and Susan Sims ◊ Linda Coburn Kornitzer Bradley Pearson Louis and Sharon Smith Lois Lacy Mark and Lisa Ebbitts Susan and Tuck Spaulding Michael and Patricia Manners Constance B. Fayen Jeannine Strandjord Doug and Nina McKenna Ellen Feldhausen Sue Strickler JoZach Miller and Peter Bali Joerg and Christa Finger Fr. Paul Turner Dr. and Mrs. Fred Neuer Mark and Nancy Gilman John and Angela Walker George and Cynthia Norton Dr. and Steven and Janet Walker George and Suzy Pagels Mrs. Charles W. Gorodetzky Dr. Mark and Bobby and Eleanor Patton Dr. Robert Graham and Mary Ellen Walton John and Linda Perkins Dr. Jane E. Henney Chris Wasmund Drs. Sanford and Denise Griffey and Howard and Irene Weiner Elizabeth Peterson Leon Langlitz ◊ Janice White Sarah, Joseph, Pamela and Dr. Allen and John and Mary Sue Williams Donald Raffurty Mrs. Gail Gutovitz Claire† and Russell Wilson Greg and Caroline Reintjes Chuck and Karen Haber George and Beverley Wilson Jill Ingram Reynolds Katie and Aaron Hackman Dave and Shirley Wurth Sid and Jeannine Richison Dr. Richard and Julie Hellman Bernie Young and Sandra Holt William and Nancy Scheerer ◊ Pamela T. Henderson Karl and Beth Zobrist Ken Schmitz Bradley and Karen Hodges James and Katherine Schorgl Pegge Hudgins Suzanne Shank and Dr. Randall and John Lohmeyer Doranne Hudson ◊ Dr. Elisa S. Silverstein Quinton and Greg and Barbara Storm Kristen Huffman ◊ Ann and John Sundeen, Jr. Randy and Kelly Huffman
◊ Sempre Society † In memoriam kcsymphony.org |
2025/26 Season
45
SUPPORTERS
Symphony Society Contributors (cont.) FANFARE CIRCLE ($2,500 to $3,499) Anonymous (2) Susan and Ho Anthony Ahn Joe and Malinda Algaier Steve and Jeri Allison Ida B. Anderson Bruce and Gerry Barker Scott and Robin Boswell Tom and Judy Bowser ◊ Cheryl and Barry Brady Robert and Pamela Bruce Stephen and Susan Bubb Gerard and Judy Bukowski Steve and Sally Burk Forrest Chumley and Barbara Valent Ron and Kim Coker Jeff Cotter and Karen Suhre Suzanne Crandall Una Creditor ◊ Bill Dickinson and Barbara Loots Carol and Mark Dirkes Dr. Margaret Estrin Drinkwine and Mr. Frank Drinkwine Lisa and Buzzah Feingold Brad and Mary Footh Bradley and Theresa Freilich Mark Gardner Shirley Gaufin and Tim Jackson Sally Groves Susan and Zack Hangauer John Hardesty and Marilyn Macha Charles and Mary Kay Horner M. Indellicate
Mr. Michael Kauphusman and Dr. Sandra Archer John and Ann Kenney Allan King and Nancy Bean Drs. Kathy M. Krause and Robert H. Lee Ermalyn Kubart and Clinton Ludeman Dr. and Mrs. Steven B. Laster Larry and Marilyn Lewis Bruce and Priscilla Long Tim and Martha Madderom Donna and Rex Martin Mr. and Mrs. Barry C. Mayhew Michael and Julie McCann William McCollum and Diana Hadl Julia and Dennis Meyer Pam and Joe Meyer Sharon Milens Donald and Linda Milligan Teresa and James Minton Gloria Mueller Linda and George Neill Dr. Mark Neustrom Dr. Jayne Opeña Bumgarner and Mr. Jerry Bumgarner Mr. and Mrs. Charles Penner Howard Pitler Melodie A. Powell and Jerry L. Short William and Stacy Pratt Kathryn and James Prevost Joseph and Kelly Privitera David Raffel Philip and Nancy Reicher
Dennis and Palle Rilinger ◊ Constance Roeder ◊ Dr. and Mrs. Steven Romondo Dr. Thomas Russell Nelson and Rachael Sabates Glen and Susan Sands Jim and Barb Scherer Janice and Mark Schonwetter Don W. Shanks ◊ Dr. John Sheets and Dr. Joy Stevenson Christopher and Lisa Sirridge Rick and Betsey Solberg ◊ Drs. David E. and Frances G. Sternberg Connie Stirgus-Marley Tate Family Foundation Don and Cathy Thomson Darrel and Linda Thomssen Dr. Angela and Mr. Patrick Valadez Deanna and Larry Van Cleave Dale E. Walker Myron and Nicole Wang Dr. and Mrs. Terrence R. Ward Mr. and Mrs. William F. Webb Heinz Wehner and Judith Biggs Charles and Linda Wells Sheila Wikas ◊ Mark and Heather Winiarski Jerry and Tammy Wood Dr. Michael J. and Cindy S. Wurm John and Carol Yorke
◊ Sempre Society † In memoriam
We are grateful for all donations. We make every effort to list donors accurately. Space limitations, however, don’t allow us to print every gift in the program book. If we have omitted a name, or if you would like to modify your listing, please call 816.218.2624.
46
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
Premier Senior Living in the Heart of Kansas City
Saint Luke’s Bishop Spencer Place, located near the Country Club Plaza, provides easy access to nearby arts and culture. Our residents enjoy monthly programming full of musicians, artists, and more. Our vibrant community offers an independent lifestyle backed by a full spectrum of health care services as part of Saint Luke’s. Our on-site care options include:
Independent and assistedliving Skilled nursing and rehabilitation Memory care Schedule a tour today 816-595-5878 BishopSpencerPlace.org
SUPPORTERS
Foundations and Organizations The list of foundation and organization contributors includes gifts received during our 2024/25 season.
48
MAESTRO’S CIRCLE ($100,000 and Above)
BENEFACTOR ($10,000 to $24,999)
City of Kansas City, Missouri DeBruce Foundation Hall Family Foundation Kansas City Symphony Alliance Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation Bebe and Crosby Kemper Foundation for the Arts, UMB Bank n.a., Trustee William T. Kemper Foundation — Commerce Bank, Trustee Missouri Arts Council Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts — Commerce Bank, Trustee Symphony League
Anonymous The Cross Foundation The Ronald D. Deffenbaugh Foundation Elsberry Family Foundation Fondation Foyer, Julie Kemper Foyer and Jean-Charles Foyer The Ingram Family Foundation Kirk Foundation Oppenstein Brothers Foundation Victor E. and Caroline E. Schutte Foundation Ralph L. Smith Illumination Fund
COMPOSER’S CIRCLE ($50,000 to $99,999) Kansas City Symphony Guild Kao Family Foundation National WWI Museum and Memorial Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, City of Kansas City, Missouri The Seeley Foundation
Almy Legacy Fund Gerson Family Foundation McCown Family Foundation Bill McGlaughlin Education Fund Louis and Frances Swinken Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City
MUSICIAN’S CIRCLE ($25,000 to $49,999)
SUSTAINER ($1,000 to $4,999)
Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation Curry Family Foundation Arvin Gottlieb Charitable Foundation, Peter W. Brown, Barton J. Cohen, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustees Michael and Marlys Haverty Family Foundation Fund Frank and Margaret G. McGee Fund National Endowment for the Arts Pemberton Family Charitable Foundation J.B. Reynolds Foundation The Sosland Foundation Mark Edelman Theater Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City
The Breidenthal-Snyder Foundation R.A. Long Foundation Miller Nichols Charitable Foundation Henry E. Wurst Family Foundation
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
PATRON ($5,000 to $9,999)
OPEN DAILY, YEAR-ROUND! kansascityzoo.org | 816-595-1234
SUPPORTERS
Business Alliance Corporate Contributions The list of corporate contributors includes gifts received during our 2024/25 season. BUSINESS ALLIANCE MAESTRO’S CIRCLE ($100,000 and Above)
BUSINESS ALLIANCE PRINCIPAL PARTNER ($5,000 to $9,999)
Bank of America Hallmark Corporate Foundation
Ash Grove Cement Company Associated Audiologists, Inc. Burns & McDonnell Country Club Bank Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe Forvis Mazars HMXLive Humana Kansas City Life Insurance Company Kansas City University Mark One Electric Company, Inc. Optum Parisi Coffee Renewal by Andersen Restless Spirits Distilling U.S. Engineering Holdings
BUSINESS ALLIANCE COMPOSER’S CIRCLE ($50,000 to $99,999) Ford Motor Company Kansas City PBS Webster House Garage, LLC
BUSINESS ALLIANCE PLATINUM PARTNER ($25,000 to $49,999) The H & R Block Foundation Helzberg PNC Foundation Union Station
BUSINESS ALLIANCE GOLD PARTNER ($10,000 to $24,999) AdventHealth BlueScope Foundation Cerris Evergy JE Dunn Construction Company KC Parks and Recreation Kissick Construction Company McCownGordon Construction Spencer Fane LLP
50
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
BUSINESS ALLIANCE PARTNER ($3,000 to $4,999) Adams Brown Wealth Consultants Black & McDonald Brown & Brown Blue Bird Bistro CBIZ EPR Properties Fannie’s West African Cuisine Foley Equipment Fountain City Winery Global Prairie Kansas City Bier Co. KurlCultureKC J. Rieger & Co. Lamp Rynearson Civil Engineering & Land Surveying MC Realty Group, LLC Polsinelli PC Price Brothers Management Company Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. State Street Straub Construction Company, Inc.
presents the 2025-26 season:
Celebrate an international cultural exchange through music, dance and theatre as Kansas City prepares to step onto soccer’s biggest stage.
go.umkc.edu/conservatory
love brings hope
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
FEB 28–MAR 8, 2026 kcopera.org | (816) 471-7344 Sponsored by:
SUPPORTERS
Business Alliance Corporate Contributions (cont.) BUSINESS FRIEND ($500 to $2,999) Alice Scooper’s Ice Cream Co. American Century Investments AM CPA Amos Family Funeral Home Anderson and Associates Argana Investments Arterra KC Apartments Atomic Cowboy Assured Partners Bach to Rock Beer Kitchen Bizz & Weezy Confections Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City BRR Architecture CB Construction Services Creative Planning Dillingham Enterprises, Inc. DL & CL Investments Excel Constructors Fairway Creamery Footprints Heroes Home Gate Garmin Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Heavenly Homes Team Real Estate HFG Architecture His & Her Fitness J. Rieger & Co. Katie Grimes CrossCountry Mortgage KC Strings
Lifted Spirits Distillery Lockton Companies Inc. Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop Mariner McQuaid Brothers Remodeling Merrill Lynch/David Voysey Metcalf Auto Plaza Michelle Deutch DDS Mission Farms Mixture Neon Palm Ice No Coast Real Estate Oak & Steel Payne & Jones, Chartered Foundation Pulse Design Group Reliant Financial Services SageView Advisory - Kansas City SHS MedTech Consulting Terrasi Living & Scandia Home The Homesteader Cafe LLC Taco Naco KC TouchBase Chiropractic & Wellness Walz Tetrick Advertising Wandering Vine Warriors’ Ascent West Bottoms Whiskey Co. Wis-Pak Brands - BUBBL’R Union Horse Distilling Co. Union on the Hill
For more information about the Kansas City Symphony Business Alliance, please contact Mark Laverentz, Manager of Corporate Partnerships, at 816.218.2601 or mlaverentz@kcsymphony.org.
FAMILY CONCERT
PHILHARMONIA FANTASTIQUE Sunday, March 1 at 2 p.m. Luke Poeppel, David T. Beals III assistant conductor
52
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
CELEBRATING
YEARS
OF BROADWAY
JUNE 9–14
JULY 7–12
AUG. 4–9
SEPT. 8–13
GET SEASON TICKETS AT KCSTARLIGHT.COM
2025/26
Emergency Evacuation Procedure The Kauffman Center is equipped with advanced life-safety early alert systems. Each performance hall is designed with emergency exits in case of an evacuation. In the event of severe weather, shelter in place inside the hall, not in a lobby area, and await further instructions. In the event of an emergency, the performance will be interrupted. Horns and strobes will sound. Emergency instructions will be delivered from the stage. Please remain seated as staff use an appropriate amount of investigational time to verify the source of the alarm.* Should an evacuation be necessary, lighted red (Muriel Kauffman Theatre) and green (Helzberg Hall) exit signs will lead patrons to one of eight emergency exit paths. Patrons who are not able to safely and comfortably navigate stairs should remain in the venue near one of the marked “Emergency Evacuation Assistance” areas. First responders will evacuate those requiring assistance immediately upon their arrival. Elevators, primary entrances and the Brandmeyer Great Hall staircase are NOT used in the case of an emergency evacuation. For more information on emergency evacuation procedures, visit kauffmancenter.org/policies.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
FINAL SYMPHONY: MUSIC FROM FINAL FANTASY® Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m. Jason Seber, guest conductor
54
2025/26 Season | kcsymphony.org
* Kauffman Center’s emergency egress plan, which includes an appropriate amount of investigational time to verify the source of an alarm, was developed with the assistance of the Kansas City, MO Fire Marshall’s Office.
PARK UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR MUSIC
2025-26 CONCERT SEASON September 5, 2025, 1900 Building
Molly Carr, Viola and Anna Petrova, Piano
October 3, 2025, Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
Park ICM Orchestra Fall Concert Guest Conductor Timothy Hankewich
October 23, 2025, 1900 Building
Shmuel Ashkenasi, Violin, with ICM Faculty
November 13, 2025, 1900 Building
1900 BUILDING Mission Woods, KS
Stanislav Ioudenitch Piano Studio
December 5, 2025, Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
An Intimate Christmas with the ICM Orchestra Conductor Steven McDonald
January 23, 2026, 1900 Building Ben Sayevich, Violin and Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, Piano
February 6, 2026, Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Kansas City, MO
Park ICM Orchestra Valentine Concert Guest Conductor Filippo Ciabatti
March 13, 2026, 1900 Building ICM String Studios
March 21, 2026, Kauffman Center Stanislav & Friends Gala
April 17, 2026, Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
Park ICM Orchestra Season Finale Guest Conductor Jason Seber
May 1, 2026, 1900 Building Behzod Abduraimov, Piano
GRAHAM TYLER MEMORIAL CHAPEL Parkville, MO
All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. except for Stanislav & Friends which begins at 7 p.m.
ICM.PARK.EDU
LEAWOOD TOWN CENTER PLAZA • OAK PARK MALL LIBERTY WILSHIRE PLAZA • 39TH STREET — INDEPENDENCE SUMMITWOODS CROSSING • ZONA ROSA