Podcasts about kansas city symphony

The Symphony in the Flint Hills prepares for its final concert on June 14th after 20 remarkable years of bringing music to the Kansas prairie. This signature event has faced growing challenges, including weather disruptions and rising costs, but remains committed to celebrating and raising awareness about one of the last tallgrass prairies in the world.• Started when Jane Coger hosted the Kansas City Symphony on her property for a birthday celebration• Final event will be held at the Evans property in Chase County on June 14, 2024• General admission tickets sold out, but patron packages and sponsorships are still available• Creates a temporary "city" in remote prairie locations with stages, tents, and amenities• Features the Kansas City Symphony, Logan Mize, educational tents, a powwow, and stargazing• The organization hopes to continue its mission of promoting the Flint Hills through other programs• Has attracted visitors from every state and around the world over its 20-year history• Weather challenges and rising costs, especially insurance, contributed to the decision to end• Board Chair Mary Ice hopes the symphony's legacy will be "being remembered for having done it well."For more information or to purchase remaining patron packages, visit symphonyintheflinthills.org or call the office in Cottonwood Falls.GMCFCFAs

  About Kate: Kate Caliendo enjoys a diverse musical career of symphonic playing, chamber music, recording, soloing and teaching. She is currently Second Horn of the Jacksonville Symphony and has also held Fourth Horn positions with the Houston Symphony and San Antonio Symphony. She is a frequent guest musician with groups including the Kansas City Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, North Carolina Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic and the Coastal Symphony of Georgia. As a recorded artist, she is featured on projects with the Kansas City Symphony, Rice University Horn Studio and the Houston Symphony, including their 2018 Grammy Award winning live concert performance of Wozzeck. During the summers, Kate performs with the Bellingham Festival of Music in Washington state, and has also been a musician at Festival Mozaic in California and the Tanglewood Music Center. An avid solo musician, she performed as guest soloist with the Charleston Symphony, and in 2011 commissioned and premiered “Vanishing Points, Six Aural Paintings for Low Horn and Piano” by Rice Doctorate composer Stephen Bachicha. A native of New Jersey, Kate began her musical studies with her father, who was her band director. She was a student of Michelle Baker at the Manhattan School of Music and received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in French Horn Performance from Rice University as a student of William VerMeulen. Her other notable teachers  include Dale Clevenger, Julie Landsman, Douglas Lundeen, and Jeff Nelsen.

Allen County, Kansas is not a place most people will be familiar with, but the story is one you've probably heard before. Located in southeast Kansas, an hour and a half from the nearest major city, it features much that's typical of rural America. Iola, the county seat, is a city of 5,300 people. It has a classic town square and lies at the junction of a couple of state highways. The beautiful Flint Hills and its majestic cattle ranches are not far away.But after the community lost its hospital in the early 2000s, the usual questions emerge - is Iola, and the whole county on the verge of permanent decline?Out of this tragic circumstance was born Thrive Allen County Jared Wheeler, their Economic Development Director, joins me to talk about the path that Iola, Humboldt and the whole county have taken since that time. And, the remarkable successes they've achieved. Humboldt, for example, was featured in 2024's “15 Best Small Towns to Visit” in Smithsonian Magazine.You might not know much, or even care much, about rural Kansas. But I think you'll still find this to be an inspiring conversation and story. Jared and I cover a lot of ground, talking about rural community development, place-making, a culture of experimentation, and even bike paths.Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin's Substack page.Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you'd like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.Intro: “Why Be Friends”Outro: “Fairweather Friend”Text Transcript:Kevin Klinkenberg (00:01.158)Welcome back to the Messy City Podcast. This is Kevin Klinkenberg joined in studio today by a special guest from Central, what did you call it? Central Kansas? Southeast Kansas. Southeast Kansas, yeah. Southeast Kansas, all right. Well, shout out to my buddy Jason Carter-Solomon who hooked us up. He said, you know, just was out in Iowa, Kansas and I met this guy doing really cool stuff and it's like, you've got to talk to him.And it sounded intriguing and here we are. So welcome to the show for Jared Wheeler. You got it. Jared Wheeler. I am economic development director for a nonprofit in Southeast Kansas called Thrive Allen County. So I'm thrilled to be to be here today. Well, it should be a lot of fun. I have I've been through the area a little bit, have not stopped in Humboldt, which I know is like the big.tourist draw now. Right, right. Who would have thought that a community of 2,500 people would be in the Smithsonian magazine, New York Times, all these national publications saying you got, you have to come check this place out. Yeah. So why don't we start a little bit by just talking about, first of all, what thrive Allen County is, and how you came to be a part of it. So thrive Allen County.was initiated when the hospital in Iola, Kansas was closing. And as part of the agreement, anytime a hospital closed at that point, the idea that assets would be sold and then the money put it into the, with the intention of creating a 501c3 nonprofit, specifically dedicated towards public health initiatives. So Thrive Allen County was born out of really a crisis. So it's kind of birth from a crucible.the hospital in a small town closes. If you speak rural life fluently at all, that is a recurring theme that the hospital in town closes and you are left with some amalgamation of clinics or some specialty shops or just a general practice with limited beds, no overnight stays, that sort of thing. So the hospital closes, thrive, Allen County is born.Kevin Klinkenberg (02:20.988)And its initial mandate is to improve the community health. Just to interrupt for just a sec. So give people perspective. How big is Iowa? Yeah. Iowa, Kansas is about 5,200 people. Relatively small. It's the county seat of Allen County, Kansas. The next largest community is humble of 2,500 people. So the entire county's population is 12,000. Right. So for those of you who are in urban context, you are.probably struggling to imagine that sort of lack of population density, population scarcity. It's funny. It reminds me. So I went to high school in a small town in central Missouri. That was about 12,000 people. Okay. But when I hear you say, you know, Iowa is 5,200, it just reminds me that like when you're in a smaller town, like the hundreds matter. my. Saying 5,200 versus like 5,600, that's like a big deal. Right. It's the same way, you know,parents of young children still measure their kids age in months. It's like, is it about 27 months? It's the same situation for those of us who are doing our best work in rural communities, like 5,200. Because if I say, it's about 5,000 people, somebody out there is listening going, my graduating class was 5,000 people. That makes no sense. So Thrive, that's our context in which we work. And for the last,17 years Thrive has existed to enrich the health of citizens in Allen County. And that was initially in specifically related to physical health. So we have healthcare navigators that try and make sure that as many people as possible are insured. We operate vaccination clinics throughout the county, especially in even more rural and remote context. And thenabout halfway through the lifespan of Thrive, economic development was added. And economic development is really pursued from the perspective of community health. What is going to be a source of good, benevolent disruption? That's my approach constantly is what is going to disrupt the systems that are in place that contribute to the lack of health?Kevin Klinkenberg (04:45.788)for our community members through economic development. So that's my role and I am part of, technically I'm a one man department, but we all work together at Thrive and with our partners, both public and private partners in the communities. So how big is the organization overall? We have just under 30 employees right now. Yeah, and so we're fortunate in that some of those employees are in a transition period because we operate Allen Regional Transit.which is a public transportation organization in a rural context, which I know some of y'all out there are picturing like covered wagons. That's not exactly what's going on. But so we operate a public transit organization. And then we also have within our organization, the seed of another nonprofit that will probably spin off called Thrive Kansas, which is working for the same sort of rural community health goals.that we do in Allen County, but is trying to create statewide networks to do that. And how did you, are you from the area? Man, my rural bona fides are legit. I am, I am from a town of 500 people originally called Thayer, Kansas and in the same region, Southeast Kansas again, born and raised there. And really, so you have to remember I grew up in the nineties, early two thousands. So my experience of the wider world.was purely through pop culture. We didn't go anywhere. I was as hasty as they come. I knew what sushi was. did not eat. I had not had a bite of sushi until probably when I was on my honeymoon. And my cousin and I had a wonderful time. I'm just kidding. And so that's my baseline understanding of the world. But then I...I lived and worked in churches and schools after that. Did my grad school in Portland, Oregon. And so I did intensive weeks out there. So I was spending time in Portland in the Pacific Northwest for a couple of weeks at a time for four or five semesters. And so I've experienced a lot of different contexts. And then we moved back to Southeast Kansas, my wife and family and I from Kansas City actually. And so we lived up here.Kevin Klinkenberg (07:12.294)and then moved back about nine years ago with the choice to locate our family in a rural context. that's my route towards economic or community development is incredibly circuitous. And I really, I've found that that was a point of embarrassment for me initially when I took the job, because I just thought, everybody knows this stuff better than I do. And now I'm learning more and more about our conversation off mic before that.You were in architecture school before you got into community development. And I think that's, that is true for so many people that the reason they end up in community development, economic development, especially in a rural context is because they love the place. They love the place. They are invested in it and they have lived it. And again, bear the burden of what could be, or they have lived it and they are so quintessentially formed by it.that they believe other people should benefit from that formation as well. And the same is true for me in both directions. So, really the only experience I have with your area has been driving back and forth between Kansas City and Tulsa, which is kind of like the most direct route, really. Maybe not the fastest route, it's hard to say, but it's more interesting anyway, a little more scenic.been through Iowa. don't think I actually have driven through Humboldt yet. Humboldt, as you mentioned, has been a place that's gotten a lot of attention in recent years and it's kind of on the radar for, you know, like glamping and for cycling and everything else. Why don't you talk a little bit about like how and why has the area started to get the level of attention that you mentioned before?I think there's two categories I should speak to. The first is material and then maybe the second is going to sound a little weird, but it's mythological. So materially, one of the reasons that the area has gotten attention is because quite frankly, it's cost effective to develop and to try things in Allen County. The economic ecosystem in rural Kansas has typically been one of either extraction or exploitation historically.Kevin Klinkenberg (09:35.81)It is a wildcatting pioneering economy since my goodness, since the 19th century. And so the, industries that boomed the turn of the 20th century into the 19th century were extraction based businesses. Let's pull things as pull natural resources out. mean, my goodness, near Iola, Kansas, there is literally a city called gas and it is called gas because you, you made your bones.as part of a natural gas business there, that that's the way you made it so that the name stuck and in Humboldt and Iola there, there were massive, concrete businesses. there are these huge firms that, mined a mineral from that area and then use it to turn it into cement and concrete. So it's one that's still an operation monarch cement company in Humboldt, Kansas, butThat is the case. either you're pulling a resource from the landscape and when that is exhausted, you leave. And so that that also funnels into that exploitation idea. It's extraction or exploitation. So there's a sense amongst the folks who live and this may be true if you're a real person listening, you might be nodding along or you might want to fight me either way. WhereThere's an idea, the scarcity mindset that blends in that says, well, everybody who could have left did. Everyone who had the chance and the means and the capacity to leave when it was time to leave did, and we are what remains. I don't think that's accurate. I think that's sometimes, unfortunately, the way that small communities understand themselves. They either become bitterness factories or hope factories. That's very rarely.in a community that is somewhat remote and rural, is it in between those two extremes. You're either a community of hope or you're a community of bitterness. What could have been and what might be. So those are your two extremes. And I'd love to talk to people if they feel like they live in a community that exists right in the middle of those.Kevin Klinkenberg (11:51.238)So the first reason why the community, the area is getting more attention is because materially it's more cost effective to try something new there. That economic ecosystem of extraction or exploitation is given way to one of experiment. Let's try something new. And so there are people who are either coming back to the area or they are relocating from other parts of the country.because they have an idea that is impossible due to the cost constraints of where they live. I am assuming even for our folks who are listening in Kansas City, that if I started doing cost analysis comparison between opening a storefront business of some sort in Prairie Village compared to Iola, Kansas, you will not get the population density for traffic or tail lights, butfor your permit cost, you might be able to buy a building in Iola. So that's really at end of the day, it's more cost effective in our area just because things are cheaper. I don't mean to be crass, but that's what it comes down to. That's the material side. The second one, the one that I'm maybe even more interested in is the mythological side. Why are people so interested in that area? And I wanna ask this question as I hold this off in my head.How do you think people from non-rural contexts experience or how is their perception of the rural world formed by what pop cultural artifacts, so to speak? in the fifties and sixties, I would say it's probably Mayberry, you know, it's the Andy Griffith show. And what's the essence of the rural experience? Well, everybody knows you, you're not going to get away with anything because you'reyour mom's hairdresser's aunt saw you do that. And so they're going to report back. And then as it moves forward, what there's kind of this, it's dearth of pop cultural artifacts that have, kind of monolithic effect, except I believe there is now a new pop cultural phenomenon that everyone at least is aware of that is giving people a lens to look through.Kevin Klinkenberg (14:16.988)and see the rural context. And this is going to be absolutely ridiculous to most people, but stay with me. If you're familiar, if you, if you are familiar with the incredible pieces of art, they're known as hallmark movies. You have had a rural experience because those movies never take place in urban settings. Or if they do, it's only momentary because they're trying to escape it to getto the rural place in which you are going to fall in love, achieve your dreams and feel your stress melt away. And that's silly, it's ridiculous. But at the same time, I believe there is a, I think that is a very kitschy way of seizing on a groundswell ofCollective emotion right now where people are looking for something that is more simple. Our lives are incredibly hectic. We know they're hectic. We know that we are addicted to everything and anything. So how can I simplify? And then how can I take charge of my life and do what I want to do and have some agency? And with a little bit where your dollars go a little bit farther and maybe the pace of life slows down, people feel like they have a little bit more agency.And then finally, where can I still access some version of the American dream, whatever that is? And I think that is a piece of mythology that has been so twisted and turned, but there's, it's still baked in somewhere to us. And I think at the end of the day, part of that dream in a rural context is can I be known by people and can I know other people? I'm sure you are aware of thethe emphasis and the buzzwords of, you know, quality spaces, place making third spaces. mean, we are, we are addicted to those. And in a rural context, I think the perception is when you look through the lens of an artifact, like a hallmark movie, that the entire community is a third space because you're going to bump into the person you work with elsewhere. You're going to see someone.Kevin Klinkenberg (16:38.764)at one of the three restaurants in town that you saw yesterday crossing the street or so on and so forth. So I think that's one reason why the community has been so, or the area has been of interest is because mythologically, it provides an avenue towards some essential thing that we want out of living life in community that may be a little bit more difficult.in, if not an urban context, certainly a suburban context. So if I were to put a dot in Iowa and then draw like a circle 100 miles around it, there's an awful lot of small towns within that circle. Right. What has distinguished Iowa and Humboldt that you see more positiverebound and attraction than maybe some other towns that are within that context. One thing that has really helped so much are collectivist approach to problem solving. for example, my organization Thrive Island County, especially in the area of economic development, we would be completely inept and ineffective if we didn't haveclose and active partnerships with local government and local business leaders and confederations of industry leaders as well. So that's one of the first reasons that Iola Allen County has been successful is because it's taken a collectivist approach to problem solving without any sort of political machinations behind that, or sometimes even completely devoid ofpolitical ideology, just because, something needs to change. What do we do about it? Another reason is because folks who have been successful in Allen County have taken it upon themselves, even though there isn't a whole lot of philanthropic infrastructure, or they don't see philanthropic models that you might see in a larger community. you start a foundation, that foundation does this, this is the way in which you...Kevin Klinkenberg (18:59.088)you know, are able to recoup some of what you've given away through tax breaks and so on and so forth. That infrastructure doesn't really exist in Southeast Kansas and small communities, but successful individuals have taken it upon themselves to think critically about the complex issues that their communities face, identify the areas in which they can have an impact and aggressively pursue that impact. So, andI'll be somewhat discretionary simply because the individual in question is not a huge fan of publicity, but there's an individual, a family in Humboldt, Kansas, that at the time of the pandemic redirected a considerable amount of its workforce towards making community improvements as opposed to laying off workers at their industry. That's turned into almost a parabolic story.but it is exemplary of this individual and this company's approach to community improvement. And even without a model that said, is how you do this. There's no, there's not a Carnegie library in Humboldt, Kansas, even serving as a beacon of what philanthropy looks like. This individual became a quintessential philanthropist to solveproblems and it's in his small community again, because he loves it. And that example has had a profound impact throughout the region where there are more and more folks who have been successful and have realized that their success has resulted because someone else made a provision for them and they've turned around and said, okay.How do I address the complex issues? Not merely I'm gonna endow a scholarship, which by the way, we love that, keep doing that everyone, but we need new curb and gutters in the road. I bet I could do something with that. I bet I could have an effect in that direction. So we've been very beneficial through collectivist solution making and then also,Kevin Klinkenberg (21:19.676)the inspired philanthropy of successful folks. mean, that's so interesting. It kind of hits on a broader topic. know Aaron Wren on his podcast has he's talked about this as well. But like one of the real differences today versus in communities, say 100 years ago, is that 100 years ago, the bank in town was locally owned. Right. The department store was locally owned.Right. You know, most of the, and this is true in cities of towns of almost all sizes, that your local leadership class were people who owned prominent businesses in the town. Right. And that is something that has been lost in an awful lot of communities because of, you know, just changes in the economy and so muchSo much of a shift towards sort of larger corporate owned Businesses that then just have branches in places and you just never have the same buy-in right you're like if you're like the branch manager of a bank that's got 500 Locations right you're gonna have a different buy-in than if you're like the owner of the bank. Yeah and and the same goes for for a lot of industry so I think that's it's really interesting what you mentioned that you sort of start starting from a kernel of somebody who ownedan important business and lives in the town and says, just like you said, I'm not going to just do a scholarship fund, but I'm going to invest in things that make, improve quality of life where I am. Right. And I guess that's, as you were, as you were talking about that, I, I couldn't help but wonder, and I'll, I'll ask you directly if you, do you think a community can outsource its self identity? no. Okay. Okay. So, but that's, that's the tug.When so many things are operated or owned remotely is what happens is this, I really think an existential crisis for a community to go, then what are we and who are we? And if you don't have a thing to point to that provides an place of orientation for your community, it gets really hard to then invite people to invest in that community.Kevin Klinkenberg (23:44.63)And so I think that's, I think you're exactly right. That when, when that autonomy evaporates, then you do have a, identity crisis, so to speak. And so that's one thing that's been really interesting in both Iola and Humboldt is, you know, the businesses that are added, we have some community investment, groups and, some microloan groups andso on and so forth. The businesses that have been added are not, mean, there is no retailer that's saying we'd love to drop a branch in your town of 5,000 people. It doesn't make sense for them. So what's added is homegrown. It's local entrepreneurs who we claw to find capital for them and then they take a swing and we're fortunate in that. I sit on a board of what we call a entrepreneurial community.a lending group, micro loans. although, you know, to us, they're not micro to other folks. might be, we have over 25 loans on the book right now and 99.9 % of them are making their payments with regularity. And we have businesses that are crossing that year to five to year six, year six threshold, which is enormous for anybody in the entrepreneurial world. And we've just been fortunate because, there's nobody coming to rescue us.think that is, that is a shift in mindset for small communities. That's so important and it requires a bit of, I mean, you, have to be brutally honest with yourself that you, you need to empower the folks who are there to ask why not instead of why here. Yeah. AndIf something else comes along, if something locates itself in your community, that is an extra. But if you can empower the folks who are local to take a chance, then I think you're onto something that could be sustainable. Yeah. I wonder if you can talk a little bit more, maybe some specific examples of like the homegrown approach. The reason I ask that is I'm old enough to rememberKevin Klinkenberg (26:09.818)that the standard approach to rural economic development for a long, time was go plat an industrial park on the edge of town, put the infrastructure in, and try to attract what basically were like low wage industrial jobs from big companies. that's how you will save your community. what you're describing is a really different sort of a bottom up approach to working with people who are already there.I wonder if you could talk more about like some of the successes or some of the other couple of stories you can share. Absolutely. and we still do that. I mean, I, got, I got two industrial parks right now that are planning and ready to rock. So if you're out there listening and you, and you want to, know, you need a spot for your biofuel company, hit me up. Cause I am ready to talk. so we're not, we're not opposed to that approach. I just think that, charting that as the only course is, really risky.And to be honest, I don't know how much, how reliable it is. I think it's a part of a solution model. But so for example, we have a coffee shop in Iola, Kansas. Every community has got a coffee shop at this point. It doesn't matter how small you are. This coffee shop, shout out Wild Bloom Coffee in Iola. And this coffee shop got started as alower level commercial space on the square. Like every other cute coffee shop in a small town bought the bare minimum square footage that they could afford as just one half of a building, one half of the lower level of a building. And the coffee shop has been so successful and it's been able toapply for and receive grant funding. It's been able to benefit from a neighborhood revitalization program that's a tax rebate program when they made improvements to the space. It works considerably with our organization in small business coaching and in capital pursuit through our micro loan program. And this coffee shop has now purchased the entire building that they're in. They offerKevin Klinkenberg (28:29.468)kind of a subscription based bourbon taste in nights and cigar bar evenings. And they're going to expand to catering and they they serve brunch now. And in our little coffee shop in Southeast Kansas, the other day I had the best ramen I've had in years. we have, they're really talented folks who are owning and operating that shop, but it's been able to expand consistently.due to again, these collectivist approach because there's so many people, it's not only that they serve a great product, they do. It's not only that they provide a great customer experience, which they do, but it's also because they have been willing to not only want help, but ask for help. And that's an enormous difference. Wanting help is just the awareness that you need something. Asking for help is putting your hand in the air,I said, okay, I'm willing to reach out and grab whomever is going to help out, but I'm asking for it. And so that's an example that we've had in Iola. In Humboldt, Kansas, and I can take no credit for this, there's a group known as a Boulder Humboldt. And that is a confederation of business owners, entrepreneurs, movers and shakers who have added businesses throughout Humboldt. So the best...And from my money, the best little honky tonk in Kansas is the Hitching Post in Humboldt, Kansas. And they have live music every night, every weekend night, excuse me. Probably the most expansive collection of whiskeys that you could want or need. And it is an incredibly successful business and an incredibly successful gathering place. And again, was started.by an individual who moved to Humboldt who had connections with people who had multiple generations of their family within Humboldt. And they were able to continue to build that business and be patient as it was built. they live, to your point earlier, they live and work in the community. The gentleman who owns that business is a city council person in Humboldt, Kansas. And...Kevin Klinkenberg (30:48.88)is really devoted towards overall community health and community growth. those are, and those businesses are now moving beyond. So Hitching Post is moving towards, I think it's third year of operations. So kind of living past that initial start at birth. Wild Bloom, I believe is to year four and five in Iola. So we have some wonderful businesses that are outside of what people would expect in a small community.again, because there've been collectivist approach. So hitching posts exists because of the collective that is a bold or humble and humble. Wild Bloom exists because of multiple collective groups within Iola that were, had a vested interest in these success stories. So the one, I confess the one business I remember from going through Iola is I stopped at the butcher shop right off the highway, which was a pretty incredible operation.And I think at the time I was kind of thinking about, we're not very far from ranch country. I had a cooler with me. want to buy some steaks or whatever and take them home with me. And of course the selection was incredible. The prices were way better than when I get in the city. And it's pretty much like fresh off the ranch. Right. I mean, you might have driven by cattle that were lamenting that their buddy was gone and ended up in your cooler instead.Yeah. So one of the thing I definitely I know about the area is you have this north south bike trail. Yeah. That comes through that goes for, I don't know, 100 miles or something. Yeah. Is that the Prairie Spirit? Prairie Spirit Trail. Yeah. What impact has that had on the area? So one, we have a very high rate of folks who bike or walk to work. Comparatively, I just pulled that data.We are higher than the state average, I think almost twice as high as the state average and people that walk or bike to work. So to me, that signifies two things. is it's pedestrian or bike traffic is built into the community. think part of that is because of the trails. There's 60 miles of trail in Allen County alone.Kevin Klinkenberg (33:09.622)so that's around the, what will become the new state park, Lehigh Portland state park. That's going to be on the edge of Viola. let's say it was a lake that was publicly owned and privately owned and then was deeded over to the state of Kansas and, Kansas department of wildlife and parks is turning that into a new state park. So there's a lot of trails around that and people have access to those trails for a while. Thrive Island County, maintenance is those trails on behalf of KDWP right now.we have trails though, that also we, we think of in, in rural communities, you think of your trails as out somewhere out towards the woods. I mean, you're go ride around and walk around, but there's also dedicated trails in Iola, that go to the hospital. spoiler alert, we did get a new hospital. I started the story talking about the, this, closing of the hospital, new hospitals added, to the elementary school, a new elementary school and to the high school, middle school, and also to around.Not to, we're working on getting trails all through the main thoroughfares in town, but there's also trails around Allen Community College in Iowa as well. So we are addicted to trail building and maintenance because we have a population that in many respects is income challenged. And an automobile, even though to most of us is an automatic purchase to a lot of our neighbors and friends, it's a luxury.And so if you do not have an automobile, but you need to get to work or you need to make your appointment or you need to get to school, you need to have a safe way to do so. And so I think that that trail system is. It's part of a wider, pedestrian and bike travel understanding and folks in our community are not embarrassed to do so. And it's because there's not.There's not the income stratification that exists. I mean, in some communities, if you see someone that is riding their bike to work, there's three categories either, they're, they're a granola type that just wants to show us that they're more fit and better than the rest of us. They are too poor to purchase a vehicle or they get a DUI and they can't drive right now. I mean, that is the truth in, our community because the, because of the prevalence of the trail system.Kevin Klinkenberg (35:35.002)If someone is walking or biking to work, it's really hard to codify them. I wonder if they fall into this category or that category just because it's the norm. So we're very fortunate that those trails exist and they do. It also affects, as you mentioned, the glamping outdoors, outdoor recreation, infrastructure and commercialization that exists in our area. That's very helpful. So again, in Humboldt, there is a camping, kayaking,and BMX riding facility known as Base Camp. And it is located at a trailhead. And so you can jump off Prairie Spirit or Southwind Trail. You can go into Base Camp. The, again, the state park is full of trails and also on Prairie Spirit and connect to Southwind Trails as well. Yeah. And then if you ride it far enough, you'll connect to the Flint Hills Trail. Yeah, exactly. Which is.over a hundred miles East West trail. Right. Exactly. My wife and I have ridden a few times. Okay. Cool. Yeah. we, we, one of our favorite events of the years, we go to the symphony and the foothills. Yeah. which is, I almost hate to talk about it because I don't want, I don't want it to become too popular. You don't want people to show up. Yeah. I really don't want people from the coast flying in and, and, making this, you know, too expensive, but my God, it's an incredible thing. Right.just one of the coolest events that we do on a regular basis with where the Kansas City Symphony goes out onto a active cattle ranch in the Flint Hills and performs a concert. But we've made a habit of going and writing a different section of the Flint Hills Trail every year, which is really a fun experience as well. But haven't done the Prairie Spirit, so I'm...Interested to do that. You absolutely should. mean, we, we talked to cyclists who do the same thing, who are connected using the Prairie Spirit to get to the Flint Hills. We're doing a major ride and they're always impressed with the quality of the trails. the Prairie, I, I can only say I only ride or have ridden a portion of it. so, and if you happen to see me riding, can, you can, guess a, is it.Kevin Klinkenberg (37:46.192)Poverty is a DUI or is it granola? one? What's the reason? But no, we're very fortunate that that trail system exists and fortunate that we are the custodians of that trail system. And that's one thing that I would say to, if you're in a rural context and you're just trying to think of something that you could add that would improve quality of life, would be a quality of life amenity, which by the way is an absolute necessity now.That's reason people are choosing to locate themselves in different places. Obviously housing matters, obviously childcare matters, obviously the possibility of earning a comfortable income matters. But if those three things are satisfied, they're making decisions about where to land based on, you know, is there a quality of life, amenity that I can connect myself with? You have, you have space and you have dirt. You are almost there. You are almost to the, to having a trail.or a system of trails in your community on the edge of your community. Please, please talk to Thrive Allen County. We have a lot of experience of doing trail work. We have blown it and messed it up in different places so we can help you avoid those problems as well. But that is a way in which you can activate your community and you can also contribute to the overall health of your community as well. So I want to talk a little bit more about the place making aspect of this.Like I mentioned before, went to high school in a small town in central Missouri and before that I did first through eighth grade in a small town in southern Minnesota.things that were memories that really stick out for me was, know, if you live in a small community and you're a kid, like riding a bike is a normal thing. Yeah. And I used to ride my bike everywhere. And it was accepted. It was normalized. It was easy to do and safe. There's very little traffic on most of the streets. But as soon as you hit 16 years old, like it is theKevin Klinkenberg (39:54.78)uncoolest thing in the world. You've got to have a car. You've got to be cruising around. there, one of the things that has really interested me that I've tried to, I've tried to articulate, I haven't done a great job of it, but I've thought a lot about, which is most small towns are absolutely natural places for the sort of walking, biking lifestyle that.quote unquote urbanists talk about all the time. it's actually, they were built for that originally. But it also bumps up against like the, there's a culture aspect, which seems to not embrace that in most small towns. And I experienced that. I still see it all the time. And I've often thought like really, I guess maybe I want your reaction to this. One of the things I've thought is thatone of the best economic development approaches for a lot of small towns is to be the antithesis of the big city and the big city, people think of it as urban with all this cool stuff to do. But the reality is most people are spending a ton of time in a car, getting from place to place, commute, whether not just commuting, but going shopping, kids activities, et cetera. Looking for a parking spot. Looking for a parking spot. but in a small town,those, it almost ought to be like, that's the place where you could really sell this idea of a lifestyle where you get on your bike and get to a lot of places. You could walk to the town square and that should be a real competitive advantage. wonder if you could, you think that's. Yeah. So why does that not happen? No, I think that's a, I think that is such an insightful question. and one that we struggle with a lot. so I want to, I want to tackle it in a couple of different ways.One is back to the mythology. What's a marker of success? Marker of success is to be able to have your preferred automobile and typically multiple automobiles. And that doesn't end just because you're in a small town. People still want to virtue or virility signal with their automobiles. And because of the work and the terrain in which people live in small towns in rural Kansas, automobiles are typically bigger. Automobiles are bigger anywhere.Kevin Klinkenberg (42:13.868)Always constantly. that again, back to the American dream model, excess is our love language as a culture. so at the same way you got, you have a lot of big vehicles and we need, we're going to signal that we're doing well via this big vehicle, especially if you struggle with multi-generational poverty. Here's a purchase you can make that is a signal that does not require the type of overhead as a home.So I'm going to buy this vehicle. It's going to show everyone that I'm doing okay. The only way to show everyone that is to use said vehicle until I can't make the payments on it anymore. that's not a, that's not a purely rural experience, but it's one that shows up a lot, especially in socioeconomically, depressed areas. Yeah. Here's my $50,000, vehicle in front of my $40,000 house. Sure. Sure. yeah. So that, that, that occurs a lot. There's still,There's still status signaling through via vehicles. That's the first one. Second one is it costs communities more to provide the infrastructure necessary for safe pedestrian and bicycle traffic. If you have X amount of dollars in your county budget or in your city budget to build roads and it's going to take, you know, 5 % more to add a bike lane.to change the width of your sidewalks and you have to decide either we do the project without those things or we don't do the project at all because everyone is clamoring for those things. In most cases, they're going to choose to add the infrastructure without these dedicated spaces. Part of my organization's efforts is to educate communities that you can do that in a cost effective way. You can add those things in a way that's cost effective. So,I think we're moving the needle in that direction. I think that that's still a big issue. we have some, so there's some cultural status signaling. We have some infrastructure cost challenges there. And then also the antithesis of the big city idea is very interesting because typically when people see adults riding their bikes, if you are from a rural community,Kevin Klinkenberg (44:34.576)You only see that when you go to larger communities. I remember having, again, I did grad school in Portland and Portland is an incredibly bike friendly community. If you talk to people who drive in Portland, who do not also cycle there, they lament how bike friendly it is. But if you are a person traveling in a large city, from a rural context to a large city, you see for the first time.city infrastructure that has bike lanes, has bike crossing, pedestrian cross, a lot more foot traffic, a lot more bike traffic. And it can be really alarming to your sensibility of what it is to get from place A to place B. And so, man, did we have a scare, I almost hit that person on a bike. Do I really want to deal with that back home? In a place where you're sharing literal traffic lanes as opposed to driving next to a bike lane.so on and so forth. So I think you're right. think there there is a sense in which, you do want to be the antithesis of the big city. But where you say that and you go, so make yourself more walk walkable and bikeable. There are folks in smaller towns who go, yeah, man, there's a lot of cyclists in that big city that I that I visited. And it was really difficult to navigate. I think that's shifting. We're very fortunate in that even in our town of five thousand people, there are folks who are interested in.making a transition from predominantly using their vehicle, their automobile to get around to using their bike or just walking again, twice as high as the state average of folks who getting to work that way. So I think we're seeing that, that shift. And I think that is a selling point for why we're inviting people to spend time in our area or consider moving to our area. Because if that is a lifestyle change you would like to make or that you've already embraced, thenThere's probably a way in which you can get everywhere you need to go in Iola or Humboldt or elsewhere in Allen County on your bike or on your own two feet.Kevin Klinkenberg (46:38.566)Another thing that has been really interesting the last few years, in the wake of COVID and all of the policies and changes that happened, there's been an awful lot written and talked about in regards to like people moving. People leaving cities, looking for smaller towns. Sometimes they're leaving the city and moving to the suburbs. Sometimes they're maybe moving from the suburbs to a small town or an exurb.And obviously, I don't need to rehash all of that, but there's been a lot of conversation about that for the last few years. And it feels a little bit like there's been a shift in perception in the culture about small town living in a positive way. What have you noticed the last four or five years? First, a little bit of a, I don't want to dampen that.that exuberance for small town living. But I think the data is starting to show us that people dip their toe into rural life and then they have went back to the cities or to the suburbs or so on and so forth. But in some cases, that's that's true. Just people have chosen a city, a new city, and they've left. So Austin's a great example. Austin boomed post pandemic and now their vacancy rate in particular apartments, condos, things like that.is astronomical because people are like, well, this was cool. And now I'm ready to go back to where my job is or where I lived previously. And so I think that's happening. The shuffling of the deck is resettling itself, so to speak. I do think you're right that there is a more positive perception of rural living than there used to be. I think it's because COVID taught us that everything could be truly remote.And if you can survive and maybe even thrive, and you talk to some folks and the best years of their life, with all due respect to people who lost loved ones during COVID or struggled with that, or still dealing with the health effects following COVID, there are some people who will tell you that COVID changed my life. I was at home with my family. I was taking more, more direct self-care. I was making efforts toKevin Klinkenberg (49:00.964)identify some things in my character that I want to change. It changed my life. So being remote was a positive. And so I think, what if I did that geographically as well? What if I did that socially as well? And I located myself in someplace a little more remote. Would that also be advantageous to me? And I think COVID also reminded us of the power of knowing people and being known by people.I think that is probably the primary reason in which people are choosing, if they're not business owners or entrepreneurs, people are choosing to live in smaller communities or move to smaller communities, even if the numbers aren't as great as they were immediately post-COVID, because they see an opportunity to be known by their neighbors and to know their neighbors. Because when that was taken away from us, for so many of us,that was relationally cataclysmic. And it made us, it gave us all, but it also gave us time to go, okay, how well do I really know the folks that I'm not seeing anymore? And does that bother me that I don't know them? And could I know them better? And I think in a rural context, there's still that capacity to know the people that live on your street and to really interact with them. And not that it's impossible.in an ex-urban or suburban or urban context, but it might be a little less immediate than it is in a rural context. Yeah, it kind of reminds me of the joke that the best thing about living in a small town is everybody knows everybody. The worst thing about living in a small town is everybody knows everybody. For sure. That's absolutely true. I think maybe COVID reminded us though.The worst thing isn't as bad as the best thing could be good. doubt. What are, what are some of the things that your communities need to get better at? like what, if you were to chart a positive course or continue the improvement, what, what do you need to do better? What are you trying to work on now? So one thing we need to do is accentuate a positive that I mentioned earlier, more firm and reliable collective approaches to problem solving.Kevin Klinkenberg (51:22.138)So that's one thing. A second thing that we need to get better at is our anchor institutions need to position themselves as irrepressible agencies for good. So, for example, our school districts, our community college in Iowa, Kansas, and then the city governments and county governments, they need to, we need to work together to see ourselves as innovation agents.and benevolent disruptors as opposed to status quo maintenance agencies. And again, I think that's applicable in most rural contexts and probably applicable in a lot of community contexts, because again, you are either moving towards becoming a hope factory or bitterness factory and status quo will lead you to bitterness because those who don't achieve it will become in bitter that they didn't achieve it.or those that you're trying to force feed it to as the end result of their life will wonder why you didn't chart a more hopeful course for them. So we need our anchor organizations to see themselves as agencies of good and do so without shame. And I think that is obviously a difficult thing to map out or reverse engineer, but what it requiresis leadership that is constantly in pursuit of not utilitarianism or what works, but what is going to have the best long term effect on the quality of life of the people that work for the organization or that the organization serves. those are two things that I would say even more collective approaches to problem solving. So housing is a great example.Everybody's struggling with housing right now, whether you're in an urban context or a rural context. And the old ways of solving that, just, you know, here's a here's a platable era, you know, several plaits, plaited land that the city owns. And we want a developer to come in and you can build a subdivision. And we're going to give you these tax breaks. We're going to incentivize this in so many different ways. I think that's still maybe possible in certain contexts and rural contexts. It's just not possible.Kevin Klinkenberg (53:44.828)One, because the city typically doesn't own that much land. And two, a developer then has to say, can I, what are the margins going to be? Because I'm going to have to bring a crew down here. I'm going to get supplies down here. Are there already contractors down here? There's already people. There's master craftsmen and so on and so forth. But there's not a contractor and there's not a readily available crew. So, for example, the state of Kansas right now, the Department of Commerce has offered the frame grant.that is going to give capital to community colleges that have a building trades program, construction program to help identify the gap in the housing ecosystem and address it. And I think things like that, ideas like that are going to be so important moving forward because they're going to be necessary for everyone to get on the same page. In Humboldt, Kansas, the most reliable developer, with the exception of maybe in the past year,was the school district. High school built one house every two years or so. And it was a guaranteed reliable development. One house in Kansas City, who no one will notice, in a community of 2,500 people, a new house is, I guarantee you, is the talk of the town. So I think that is something that's going to be necessary is that we continue to embrace and expect collective solutions.collaborative solutions to complex problems. And then that our anchor agencies, and this could even include our anchor institutions and maybe even our industrial partners, see themselves with a responsibility to be benevolent disruptors.One thing kind of as part of that conversation, I might be reading a little bit into this, but I certainly know from my experience that oftentimes in rural communities, there is more of an acceptance of just status quo. It is what it is. I don't mean to say this like an insulting way to anybody, but.Kevin Klinkenberg (55:58.22)not necessarily a push for excellence or striving. Maybe the better way to say it is not as much striving to achieve. And I think part of that's because it's more comfortable and easy to live in a smaller town, costs are less, et cetera, et cetera. In a big city, you find a lot more people who really striving for something. Is that an aspect at all of kind of like, as you think aboutthe next phases are achieving more in your county? No. I'll elaborate. No, if you don't, if you don't believe that striving for excellence is part of the rural expectation, you have not been to a county fair. So if you go to a county fair and see the effort that people put into things that will neverbe recognized outside of a three day event and the sweltering heat at the end of July in rural Kansas, then I don't know what to you. if it's speak with, communicate with folks who are trying to grow the best stand of wheat that they have in their life every year, speak with people who aredo not care about commodity prices, but are proud of the way that they're being fields look, or the person that is growing the best beef you've ever eaten in your life. and I think that pursuit of excellence is still there. I understand what you're saying that, and I think the, what you're, what you're actually articulating is something that's present in rural communities, which is the reluctance to be disruptive. I don't, I don't want.to in any way rock the boat because rocking the boat will, could potentially bring shame on myself. And they still on the honor and shame, social economy and small towns is still very real because most people are multiple or are part of a multiple generation. you know, family tree it's been in that area. So my gosh, if you mess up, then the shame that bring on your family.Kevin Klinkenberg (58:21.628)it moves up and down that family tree. It's not isolated to just yourself. If you are an entrepreneur in Atlanta and you have no connection to the community, you just landed there, and you try a business and it flops, but then you're able to go somewhere else. There's no shame involved in that. You, you are.a pioneer. You are, you know, you're an entrepreneur and everyone is going to be impressed by you because you had a great big idea that just didn't work. And here's 18 reasons it didn't work that you had no control over. If you're an entrepreneur in Iowa, Kansas and your business flops and you still have to live in that community and everybody's going to ask your aunt when she goes to church on Sunday, well, you know.We saw that he started that your, your nephew started that auto body place. Is this, is it still open? Didn't seem like there were many cars there. Didn't seem, didn't seem like he's doing, is he doing okay? he's, they had to close. that's terrible. And your aunt's the one who has to answer that question for you. And so I think, I don't think it's a reluctance to pursue excellence. I think it is a fear that they will somehow.do something that will be shameful. Interesting. And I think that that's very real. And that burden of failure sits heavy in a rural community. failure in a rural community historically is very obvious. It is driving by a field that is fallow. It is driving by a farmhouse that's in disrepair.because there's not money to take care of it. So it is so much louder than it can be in other places. Interesting. I appreciate that. last thing I wanted to ask about, as I've looked before at coming to Humboldt in particular, I was really impressed by just the amount of activity that is programmed in the town on a regular basis.Kevin Klinkenberg (01:00:33.979)That's something that most small towns don't do much of. I wonder if you could speak to a little bit. So like, I always think about that, like in a community there's hardware and there's software and that's like the software side and talk a little bit about what Humboldt has been doing and what that has meant for the overall success of the place. And the credit again goes toward Boulder Humboldt, that group, and then also theirCity Administrator Cole Herder, shout out Cole Herder. Listen, if you want to know what it is to be a good City Administrator in a small town, which is part PR Director, part Public Works Director, part Ombudsman and Accountant and everything else, Cole Herder and Humble Matt Rader in Iowa, those are dues that you need to put on your radar and have a coffee with.In Humboldt, that software analogy is so perfect because that directly connects to their sense of self. And so all of these events take place. For example, they brought back an event called Water Wars in the summer in which the municipal fire department is involved and it's a part parade, part massive citywide water balloon fight, part public water sports.events on the town square. And there is, it is pure frivolity, but they have embraced it because it is a spectacle of joy for the community. And in that capacity as a spectacle of joy, it ceases to be frivolous because again, if you are driving or trying to move your community toa becoming a hope factory, you need spectacles of joy. You need reasons that people can revel in the fact that they live in that place, because so often we are told as rural people, it's a shame you live there. Gosh, wouldn't it be great if you just moved somewhere else? So these spectacles of joy in which people can fully embrace, my gosh, I'm so proud or even because we don't have to defend it.Kevin Klinkenberg (01:02:54.96)And that's typically what a small town person is told they have to do. Defend why you want, why do you live there? No, I'm just going to be happy that I'm here right now. Iola just had their Christmas block party on the square in which, you know, Santa visited and kids played games and the businesses served hot chocolate. And it's, mean, it's, it is very Hallmark movie. By the way, one of the, one of the largesttown squares in Kansas. So come and visit if town squares are your thing. First of all, you and I probably aren't going to hang out at parties, but if that's what you love, come to the Iowa block party for Christmas and you will get a taste of Americana that you have been hankering for. But again, it's just a spectacle of joy and communities need those things.They need those spectacles of joy. And I think that's also to your point earlier about why people are choosing to locate themselves in rural communities, because they can do it in an unabashed way. They don't have to defend why they're doing it. doesn't have to be cool. It doesn't have to be on trend. It can just be a thing that's fun that you can revel in. And in in Humboldt and in Iowa, in Humboldt especially, there have been a group of folks who have sought to addto the community calendar, these spectacles of joy that have become a collective experience of hopefulness and celebration. And I don't know that you need to defend that. And I think we would probably all live in healthier communities if we engaged in those things without the need to qualify why they exist.Jared, I think that's a great place to wrap. Very, very, very interesting. This was a lot of fun. I think at some point down the road, I might like to have you on again and talk some more. There's probably four or five more questions that I still have in my head. I'd love to talk about. But this is super interesting. If people are trying to find you and find your communities, what's the best way to do it?Kevin Klinkenberg (01:05:09.084)ThriveAllenCounty.org. You can find out everything about the organization that I work for and you can connect with all of my colleagues there. You can email me at Jared, J-A-R-E-D at ThriveAllenCounty.org. And that's the best way to get in touch with me. I'm on LinkedIn because I'm trying to be a grownup right now. But other than that, I am willfully disengaged from social media.beyond that, for minutes, not because I'm a rural lead, but because I'm trying to protect my peace in that way. So shoot me an email, find my phone number on, on the internet. And I'd love, I'd love to talk to you. If you are rural and you want to argue with me about this stuff, please, if you are a person living in a different context and you want to chat more about this, I would love to do so. Fantastic. Jared, thanks so much.Good luck with everything and I'll definitely make a point to bring the family down and come visit one of these days. Sounds great. Thank you so much Kevin. Thanks Get full access to The Messy City at kevinklinkenberg.substack.com/subscribe

Frank Byrne, the former executive director of the Kansas City Symphony, is the host of "From the Archives" on Classical KC. He joined Up To Date to discuss classical holiday music and his career in the industry.

Frank Byrne, the former executive director of the Kansas City Symphony, is the host of "From the Archives" on KCUR's sister station Classical KC. He joined Up To Date to discuss classical holiday music and his career in the industry.

Pintscher is a well-known conductor and composer who previously led the renowned Parisian group Ensemble Intercontemporain. He replaces former music director Michael Stern at the helm of the Kansas City Symphony's orchestra.

Today's episode features an interview with trombonist/publisher David Vining, recorded at the 2024 ITG Conference in Anaheim, California.David was diagnosed with focal dystonia in 2003. In our interview, he discusses his struggles, eventual recovery through holistic movement therapies such as Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, and body mapping and exposing the vastly understudied diagnoses and treatment of focal dystonia.Perhaps the biggest misconception about focal dystonia is that it is a physical problem. While the symptoms manifest in the physical realm, it is a distinctly neurological issue which disrupts musicians' fine motor skills.David's diagnosis and eventual recovery inspired him to establish Mountain Peak Music, which offers resources and materials aimed at promoting healthy playing and living habits, as well as taking a preventative approach to issues like dystonia.Episode Highlights:01:25 David Vining's Musical Journey04:37 The Onset of Focal Dystonia05:43 Diagnosis and Initial Struggles09:24 Exploring Treatment Options18:34 Movement Therapies and Recovery25:29 Redefining Embouchure and Global Awareness26:46 Rafael Mendez a Model of Overcoming Adversity27:54 Recovering from Focal Dystonia29:33 Founding Mountain Peak Music30:19 The Breathing Book and Body Mapping32:32 Innovative Learning Materials36:49 Success Stories and Cross Training45:02 Challenges with High Brass Players46:42 Final Thoughts and AdviceResources mentioned:Mountain Peak MusicAbout the Guest:Trombonist David Vining is the founder of Mountain Peak Music, a publishing company devoted to offering innovative, healthy teaching methods for all musicians. Mountain Peak Music represents Mr. Vining's personal mission, combining his extensive performing and teaching background with insights learned through his remarkable recovery from embouchure dystonia. His Mountain Peak Music publications include the Breathing Book series, Flow Studies, Daily Routines, Long Tone Duets, Trombone Intonation Mastery, Dueling Fundamentals for Trombones, Cross Training for Musicians, The Big Book of Sight Reading Duets, Teaching Brass, and Rangesongs.Currently Professor of Trombone at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, Mr. Vining has also served on the faculties of the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music and the University of Kansas. Professor Vining's teaching transcends his trombone specialty, covering a wide range of topics appealing to musicians of every discipline. He is equally at home teaching trombone technique, helping instrumentalists and vocalists become more efficient, and helping musicians cope with injuries, among other topics.Mr. Vining is a dynamic performer who has delivered hundreds of recitals nationwide. As trombonist with the Chestnut Brass Company, he recorded several CD's and toured the United States and Europe performing recitals, masterclasses, and concerts with orchestras. Currently a member of the Flagstaff Symphony, he has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony, Kansas City Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Vining has appeared on college campuses coast-to-coast in recital and as a guest soloist with ensembles, and recorded a solo CD, Arrows of Time.Body + Mind + Spirit = Mastery. Now available is a collection of excerpts from some of the most popular...

After 19 seasons, outgoing Kansas City Symphony music director Michael Stern conducted his final concert over the weekend. Plus: One Kansas City opera company is bringing the show to residents of local retirement communities.

Send us a Text Message.Tuesday, April 16, 2024It's our very 1st episode of ON STAGE KC! Thanks for joining us. In this episode we speak with:Shelly Verden, Composer and Lyricist for "H.O.T. the Musical" having it's World Premiere at Unicorn Theatre. More info at unicorntheatre.org. H.O.T. the Musical, MAY 8 - JUN 2 2024, Presented by Unicorn Theatre at Unicorn Theatre. More info at unicorntheatre.org.Hilari Holt, Improviser, Comedian, and Founder of 1st Black Comedy Festival Kansas City.Black Comedy Festival Kansas City, APR 25,26,&27 2024, Presented by Black Comedy Festival Kansas City at Multiple Venues. More info at bcfkansascity.comOur MUST SEE KC picks are:Passport to India Festival, APR 21 2024, Presented by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. More Info at https://cart.nelson-atkins.org/43150/44185Simply the Best: The Music of Tina Turner, APR 25 2024, Presented by Kansas City Symphony at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. More info at https://tickets.kcsymphony.org/tinaturner.Arts in Prison presents the East Hill Singers, Songs of Transformation, APR 28 2024, Presented by Arts in Prison at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. More info at https://www.artskcgo.com/event/arts-in-prison-presents-the-east-hill-singers-songs-of-transformation/Spinning Tree Theatre presents Rubik by Vanessa Severo, APR 26 - MAY 05 2024, Presented by Spinning Tree Theatre at Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center. More info at https://spinningtreetheatre.com/%22rubik%22.This show is hosted and produced by Tess Koppelman and Jamie Campbell. Our Executive Producer is Nathan Gwartney. Our Audio Engineer is Paul Vedros. Episodes are mixed and edited by Thomas Newby who also composed our theme music.If you have something you would like featured on our show reach out to us through our social media.Follow Us On:InstagramFacebookYouTubeWebsite

We're celebrating KC's back-to-back Super Bowl wins! The show will be a little different than normal, offering up an hour of great music for pre and post-parade gatherings. There will be way less of me talking and we'll squeeze in music from 25 acts from the KC area and beyond.Hear from these acts with upcoming gigs:• Kemet Coleman of The Phantastics + Vine Street Brewing Co. popup at Nighthawk on Thursday, FEB 22 at 9PM• Hembree on MARCH 8 at The Ship• Six Percent with The Urge on APRIL 12 at The Madrid Theatre• The Uncouth on APRIL 27 at miniBar• Tech N9ne with The Kansas City Symphony on MAY 4 at The The Midland TheatreWe'll also feature brand new celebratory releases from Broderick Jones and Martay, plus music from about 20 more acts.

Andy is a manager of Public Affairs at Bott Radio Network & Assistant Conductor - Overland Park Civic Band. Mr. Yates holds a B.A. in music from Mid America Nazarene University. He has studied percussion and conducting at the UMKC Conservatory of Music. Mr. Yates has performed as a percussionist throughout the U.S. He has written music arrangements for Marilyn Maye, The Kansas City Symphony and famed trumpeter “Doc” Severinsen. Mr. Yates has been active in Kansas City radio since 1987.  He is currently the manager of public affairs for Bott Radio Network and anchor/reporter for KMBZ Kansas City.

Exciting episode today, as we have an international guest on the podcast today, interviewing Ilan Morgenstern! Ilan has experienced such a spectacular orchestral and solo playing career. He has subbed with numerous top orchestras across the United States and even overseas in Israel such as Israel Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and many more. He has won many awards from internationally renowned competitions including the Jeju International Brass and Percussion Competition, Zellmer-Minnesota Orchestra Competition, and the National Repertory Orchestra's Concerto Competition. His official positions in the past include San Antonio Symphony, Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony. Originally from Rehovot, Israel, Ilan has unique stories about his time growing up in Israel, how he eventually moved to the United States for his bachelor's and master's degrees, and continue through his progression as one of the top bass trombonists in North America up until his present day position in the Vancouver Symphony. -- Transition Music #1: Ballade for Bass Trombone Strings and Harp, Eric Ewazen, featuring Ilan Morgenstern, Rachel Ferris and the San Antonio Symphony Instagram: @8thposition @dbaldwin903 @_mehurst_

Loki Karuna responds to Joshua Jones' claims of racism from the Kansas City Symphony (as published in The Spotlight KC), interviews Darren Isom from The Bridgespan Group, and offers his latest example of "enjoying your headache".  ★ Support this podcast ★

Tori Fugate joined the KC Pet Project team in March 2012 – shortly after the organization took over the Kansas City, MO, animal shelter in January 2012. She is a graduate of Drury University in Springfield, MO, with a B.A. in Advertising and minors in Global Studies, Sports Management, and Women & Gender Studies. Tori's past work experience includes working with the St. Louis Cardinals' Double-A affiliate, the Springfield Cardinals, the Kansas City Chiefs, and various retail management positions. Her past non-profit experience includes working with the Missouri Restaurant Association and the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, and she served on the Kansas City Restaurant Week Committee in 2011.Tori's role with KC Pet Project has enabled her to build the organization's brand and promote its mission from inception to what it is today. She oversees all marketing, events, web management, social media, retail sales, education initiatives, and media relations, and she recently served on the design and construction committee of the KC Campus for Animal Care, Kansas City's new animal shelter. She enjoys the opportunity to promote KC Pet Project and its pets through social media and in print, radio and television appearances on a local and national level – including People Magazine, The Dodo, The Huffington Post, CBS News, USA Today, Queer Eye, and The Rachael Ray Show.Tori also serves on the Drury University Regional Board of Directors for Kansas City and is an alto in the Kansas City Symphony Chorus that performs with the Kansas City Symphony at the Kauffman Center of the Performing Arts.In her free time, Tori is a runner, an avid music lover, record collector, and food, wine and craft beer enthusiast.ABC PodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/alwaysbecoolpodcastTwitter: https://twitter.com/thebobbykerrInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbecoolpodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebobbykerrYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@alwaysbecoolSummit LendingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SummitLendingUSATwitter: https://twitter.com/SummitLendingUSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/summitlendingusa/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/summitlendingkc/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/loantipskc

Music Director Michael Stern joins Michael Gordon and concertmaster Jun Iwasaki to talk about his upcoming final season with the Kansas City Symphony. We also talk about his recently announced successor, Matthias Pintscher, and how he feels proud to hand over the keys to the hot-rod orchestra he's helped to build for the last twenty years.

In this episode we talk with Vietnam veteran, voice artist, actor, musician, and longtime host for the Kansas City Symphony's Memorial Day Celebration at the Station, Jim Birdsall. From his humble beginnings in North Dakota, to the jungles of Vietnam, to the quiet peacefulness of his home recording studio in Kansas City where he records his voice for the likes of CNBC, and NFL Films, Jim is a man who uses his voice like a musical instrument to draw listeners into any story he tells. Today, he's using that iconic voice to tell his own fascinating story.

This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar, Mike and Stephanie are joined by mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke who is town to sing Hindemith's When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd with the Kansas City Symphony and Chorus. We talk about Sasha's work with former podcast guests Caroline Shaw, Gabe Kahane, Nico Muhly and Joel Thompson on her Grammy award winning album "How do I Find you?" and discuss exploring "new music" vs. "new to you" music. Sasha also shares how finding a good coffee shop can make her feel at home no matter where she is in the world. We also reveal our Top 5 works for solo voice and orchestra. Listen now for all of this and more, this week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar.Episode 705 PlaylistALBUM: Sasha Cooke: "How Do I Find You?"

This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar, Mike and Stephanie chat with maestro, educator and all-around inspiring human Thomas Wilkins. The King of acronyms, he is currently artistic advisor for education and community engagement and the Germeshausen Youth and Family Concerts Conductor of the Boston Symphony (AAECEGYFCCBSO) and a winner of the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society (LBLAAFTEOMS). Thomas is in town conducting the Kansas City Symphony in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Coleridge-Taylor's Suite from Hiawatha, and Neielsen's "Inextinguishable" Symphony March 31-April 2 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Episode 703 Playlist

Synopsis Perhaps the fanfare is the most optimistic and hopeful of all musical forms, since it signals the start of something new and worth noting. The American composer Adam Schoenberg* was feeling optimistic and hopeful when he wrote the fanfare that opens his American Symphony, a work premiered on this date in 2011 by the Kansas City Symphony led by Michael Stern. “'American Symphony' was inspired by the 2008 presidential election,” says Schoenberg, “when both parties asked the people to embrace change and make a difference. I was both excited and honored about ushering in this new era in our nation's history.” Schoenberg celebrated his 28th birthday a few weeks after Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, and says that just a few days after the election got the idea for his new Symphony after hearing what he calls “the quintessential American symphony,” namely Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3, composed in 1946, just after the end of World War II. Not coincidentally, Copland's Symphony includes his famous Fanfare for the Common Man as a key thematic statement “I believe Copland wanted to bring beauty and peace into the world during a time of great turmoil,” says Schoenberg “and seeing that our country and world had needs similar to those of Copland's time, I set out to write a modern American symphony that paid homage to our past and looked forward to a brighter future.” Music Played in Today's Program Adam Schoenberg (b. 1980) American Symphony for Orchestra Kansas City Symphony; Michael Stern, conductor. Reference RR-139

This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar, Gonzalo and Stephanie chat with guest conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong about his upcoming visit to Kansas City. Francesco leads the Kansas City Symphony in a program of Mason Bates, Mozart and Respighi January 13-15 in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. In this episode, we talk about the importance of introducing performers and audiences to new music and Francesco dares to ask Beethoven, "Why the H*@! are there so many fermatas in the first two movements of the fifth symphony?!" Plus, we recommend listening to tunes from bossa nova to The Who. All this and more, this week on Beethoven walks into a Bar.Episode 701 Playlist

Sometimes the best gifts are re-gifts. This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar we revisit this gem from Season Two with KCS musicians David Sullivan and Fabrice Curtis and our good friend Jason Seber. This holiday carol-filled episode is sure to ramp up your holiday spirit! Happy Holidays from all of us here at the Kansas City Symphony and Beethoven Walks into a Bar!Name that Christmas Carol Playlist

Happy Thanksgiving from Beethoven Walks into a Bar! And Happy FIRST Thanksgiving to our guest Aziz Shokhakimov! In this week's episode, we chat off the podium with Aziz who is in town to lead the Kansas City Symphony and fellow Uzbek Behzod Abduraimov in a program of Smetana, Prokofief and Dvořák. Our conversation runs the gamut from programming to jellied cranberry sauce, including a Top 5 things you were doing at age 13. Here's a hint: only one of us was making our conducting debut. All this and more, this week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar.

My very special guest today is Joseph Sohm - America's Photo Historian He's the Author of “Visions of America – Photographing Democracy” with forward by Paul Theroux Website - visionsofamerica.com (visionsofdemocracy.com) Joe Sohm has photographed our 50 states spanning 3 decades. Joe's images have been published internationally more than 1 million times in his career, 50,000 times a year - in all major print media, TV, Internet and Motion Pictures. His images have been published in publications such as the National Geographic, Time Magazine, The New York Times, and Washington Post, as well as on CNN, ABC's “The VIEW,” and in films like “Night of the Museum”. His work is featured in President Clinton's book "My Life" and in his Presidential Library as well as in Frederick J. Ryan's portrait of Ronald Reagan, "The Great Communicator;" in Al Gore's Oscar-winning film "An Inconvenient Truth;" in NBC's "Embassies." He has presented his work with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, the Boston Pops, Philly Pops, New West Symphony, and the Kansas City Symphony orchestra and he has given talks to over 100 venues across America. In his speaking appearances, Joe explores what he has gleaned during his travels and how he has fallen in love with America. The LIVE SHOW is at the VENTURA COUNTY MUSEUM on Thursday, November 3, at 6:30 PM PST - Hosted by noted Journalist Ivor Davis. Ivor Davis: Up Close and Personal with Joe Sohm Joe Sohm joins host Ivor Davis for a discussion of his work as one of the nation's preeminent political photographers. Sohm's award-winning photographs have been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, National Geographic, and Time Magazine as well as on news outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, ABC, and PBS. This discussion will offer guests the opportunity to hear the insights of two journalists who have covered some of the most pivotal political moments of the last 50 years. Doors open at 6 pm In-Person Members may attend for free. Non-Members In-Person Fee: $10 Non-Member Zoom Fee: $5

Synopsis On this date in 1828, Franz Schubert attended a party at the Vienna home of one of his admirers and played some of his new piano sonata in B-flat, which he had completed only the previous day. That same month, Schubert composed one of his greatest works, the String Quintet in C Major. Tragically, in less than two months, Schubert would be dead, an apparent victim of tertiary syphilis, the most dreaded sexually-transmitted disease of Schubert's day. In our time, antibiotics can treat this once fatal disease, but in the early 1980s, its place was taken by the AIDS epidemic, which, before effective treatments were discovered, shortened the lives of many contemporary artists. One of these was the American composer Kevin Oldham, born in 1960 in Kansas City. His piano concerto was premiered to critical acclaim and a standing ovation by the Kansas City Symphony conducted by Bill McLaughlin in 1993. At that time, Oldham was seriously ill in a New York hospital and weighed only 135 pounds. Nevertheless he checked himself out, flew to his home town to solo in his concerto, then returned to the hospital the following day. He died six weeks later at age 32. When Schubert died, he was only 31. Music Played in Today's Program Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Piano Sonata in Bb, D. 960 –Alfred Brendel, piano (Philips 456 573) Kevin Oldham (1960-1993): Concerto for Piano, Op. 14 –Ian Hobson, piano; Kansas City Symphony; Bill McGlaughlin, cond. (BMG/Catalyst 61979)

After years of searching, the Kansas City Symphony has a new concertmaster! After running through a veritable gauntlet of auditions, trials and recitals, Jun Iwasaki has landed the coveted role of concertmaster and now calls KC home. We chat about the audition process, the responsibilities of a concertmaster, and help Jun get to know his new KCS colleagues with a fun new game. Get to know Jun Iwasaki this week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar.

Welcome to SEASON SIX of Beethoven Walks into a Bar! This week, we meet the Kansas City Symphony's new Associate Conductor Gonzalo Farias. Learn about Gonzalo's journey from Chile to KC, the audition process of a conductor, and his love of vintage wine. We also chat about the Symphony's upcoming season, opening weekend with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and pay special tribute to a friend mentor we sadly lost this summer. This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2iNnanpkH4WVrweb0C3onq?si=ccaab30c61b74d1c (Episode 601 Playlist) https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ac088369-fb2d-41ba-863c-ded239249819 (Probing Questions with Larry Rachleff, Beethoven Walks into a Bar: Season 3, Episode 4)

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more Michael Grunwald was most recently a senior staff writer for POLITICO Magazine and editor-at-large of The Agenda. He recently left to work exclusively on his new book about food and climate.  Today we spoke about the great new podcast that Mike is co hosting with the great Tamar Haspel. Climavores is a show about eating on a changing planet. Each week, journalists Tamar Haspel and Mike Grunwald explore the complicated, confusing, and surprising relationship between food and the environment. Before joining POLITICO in November 2014, Mike was a staff writer for The Boston Globe, a national staff writer for The Washington Post and a senior national correspondent for Time magazine. He has won the George Polk Award for national reporting, the Worth Bingham Prize for investigative reporting and many other journalism honors. He is also the best-selling author of “The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era” (Simon & Schuster, 2012) and “The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise” (Simon & Schuster, 2006). Mike lives in Miami Beach with his wife, Cristina Dominguez, an attorney; their children, Max and Lina; and their Boston terriers, Candy and Cookie. Gareth Sever is a long time listener who is also a very talented performer. His show Buckets N Boards: Comedy Percussion Show, is a hilarious, high-energy and interactive show that has captivated audiences of all ages worldwide! Gareth Sever and Matt Levingston bring a joyous charm and lightning quick wit to this full stage production. The show was born from their shared passion for music and rhythm and the intricate beats and stunning synchronicity are awesome to behold! Their comedy is front and center and the improvisational interaction with the crowd is the driving force of the show!  Buckets N Boards has performed 13 critically acclaimed summer seasons in Branson, MO, toured Performing Arts Centers nationwide, headlined with the Kansas City Symphony, and are currently one of the top requested featured acts on Disney Cruise Lines. From their imaginative songs, beautiful harmonies, amazing tap dancing, body percussion, beatboxing and bucket drumming, they have created their own fresh and unique brand of clean comedy. Buckets N Boards has crafted an original theatrical experience the entire family will enjoy! See them LIVE this Thursday night ! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/buckets-n-boards-livestream-from-dick-clarks-american-bandstand-theater-tickets-393455424767?aff=ebdsoporgprofile Check out all things Jon Carroll Follow and Support Pete Coe Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page  

Brandon Draper has enjoyed a celebrated career as drummer, percussionist, producer, multi-instrumentalist and educator. He has been based in Kansas City for the last 15 years where he has led and played in an eclectic mix of projects from jazz to Turkish to electronic music, and runs the acclaimed children's interactive music program Drum Safari with his wife of 14 years Teryn. His extensive resume also includes performances with both the New Mexico and Santa Fe Symphony Orchestras and the Kansas City Symphony, Ottmar Liebert, DJ Logic, Donna Summer, Mose Allison, Steve Coleman, Dick Oatts, Bobby Watson, and Kevin Hays, and Particle. Draper was musical director and live drummer for Quixotic Fusion 2007-2012. He continues to write, consult and occasionally perform with the KC-based cirque group. Draper is on music faculty at the University of Kansas where he teaches jazz drums, world percussion, steel band and is the director of Music Enterprise certificate combining music business and entrepreneurship. In this episode, Brandon talks about: His entrance onto the Kansas City scene after grad school Drum Safari, a touring music education program for kids, which is becoming the family business His philosophy as an educator, and the drumset and music business/entrepreneurship programs he heads up at The University of Kansas Playing with his father, a B3 organist, from an early age How some tough love from Kevin Hays helped him find a more authentic voice How his place on the Kansas City scene has changed along with his identity and interests over the years 

This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar, New Zealander Gemma New reflects on her week with the Kansas City Symphony conducting Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, a new violin concerto by Chris Rogerson and Saint-Saëns' epic "Organ" Symphony. We chat about her journey from playing violin to conducting orchestras all over the world, including a stint here in Missouri as the resident conductor of the St. Louis Symphony. She also shares her passion for experimenting with concert formats and experiences. Enjoy that and more this week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1trRFGF7CfWWhLwvZNvYGM?si=1ec52d444f534569 (Episode 508 Playlist) https://sounz.org.nz/ (https://sounz.org.nz)

Time for our "Best of the Month" episode! Danny Beckley took over as executive director of the Kansas City Symphony in 2019 and found himself navigating the pandemic months later. The entertainment industry took a massive hit during Covid, yet the Kansas City Symphony figured out how to stay sharp and in rhythm by continuing to play in a unique way.

On this episode of Rounding the Bases, the spirit of innovation and the tradition of music unite in perfect harmony. Innovation and music may not be the most obvious pairing, but for Danny Beckley, the two have always been inextricably linked. Danny Beckley is a peerless trombonist, distinguished leader, and most notably the Executive Director of the Kansas City Symphony. His foundation may be classical, but his approach to business is anything but. Danny's repertoire is heavy on entrepreneurship, as evidenced by Kansas City's evolution into an artistic stalwart on the music scene. And under his continued orchestration, it'll continue its crescendo to the ranks of world-renowned Symphony with a sound that's as richly unique as its distinctive style. For more conversation with Danny please visit the YouTube link: https://bit.ly/RTBDannyBeckleyThe Kansas City Symphony Website: https://www.kcsymphony.org/

In addition to conducting around the world, maestro Paolo Bortolameolli has somehow found the time to create an insightful video series, author a book and join us for a chat on Beethoven Walks into a Bar. We have a great time discussing growing up in Chile, exploring new music, reaching new audiences, and of course, Chilean wine. Paolo joins the Kansas City Symphony for a weekend of music in Helzberg Hall April 21-23, 2022. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1nN5V95jnpMtFkxLx93msK?si=00d7b507e921441f (Episode 506 Playlist) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScPTBeOhA6U (Ponle Pausa)

Synopsis All artists, including composers, are frequently urged to “write what they know.” Well, if that's the case, then any new and sleep-deprived parent can relate to music which depicts a late-night session with a new-born baby. It's the middle movement of a Piano Concerto that was given its premiere on today's date in 1994 by the Kansas City Symphony, with Bill McGlaughlin conducting and pianist Richard Cass. This new Concerto was by the Kansas City composer James Mobberley, who writes: “The piece is in three movements, each of which reflects a different emotional side of parenthood. The first movement represents the excitement and hysteria of forthcoming childbirth. The middle movement begins with amazingly soft moments following childbirth but leads into the period of sleeplessness and total chaos that inevitably follows. The final movement represents the wonderful fun and unpredictable interactions that start to happen, beginning with the child's first smile.” Composer James Mobberley was born in Iowa in 1954, raised in Pennsylvania, and balances teaching duties at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, with his composition work, which includes a wide range of concert and theatrical pieces, some combining electronic and live performing elements. Music Played in Today's Program James Mobberley (b. 1954) — Piano Concerto (Richard Cass, piano; Czech National Symphony; Paul Freeman, cond.) Albany 335

Kathy and I recently enjoyed the Kansas City Symphony as they performed “Star Wars.” Dozens of professional musicians worked together to make an incredible blended sound.  In contrast, I remembered joining a rock and roll band as a teenager. We each played the songs without respecting the other instruments. We sounded terrible!   My respect for ... The post A Blended Team appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar we have a delightful chat with British conductor-turned-Floridian Michael Francis. Michael's upcoming program with the Kansas City Symphony includes music by Purcell, Mozart and Elgar. Speaking of Mozart, Michael currently leads the Mainly Mozart Festival, which obviously begs the question, "Why not Totally Tchaikovsky or Blatantly Beethoven?" All will be revealed, this week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fJ7717OJK5QFrGy0dyQvD?si=d474251425154572 (Episode 504 Playlist)

Episode 42: Danny Beckley, Executive Director of the Kansas City Symphony joins Sam on the podcast. What does the future of orchestras look like? How do we expand our audience to more than the small sliver we serve now? Find out on this episode!

Joining Michael, Sky, and Sui-Lin on the podcast today is the Principal percussionist of the Kansas City Symphony, published author, teacher, performer, arranger? (more on that later in the episode) and overall great guy Josh Jones! A native of Chicago, Illinois, Josh Jones started hitting things at age 2 and received his first drum set at age 3. Josh began his formal studies in percussion with the Percussion Scholarship Program under the direction of Chicago Symphony member Patricia Dash, and Chicago Lyric Opera member Douglas Waddell. He earned his Bachelor's in Music from DePaul School of music and was the orchestra fellow of both the Detroit and Pittsburgh symphonies. In 2020, Josh joined the Kansas City Symphony as Principal Percussionist. Josh has been featured at Carnegie Hall, on radio and television, and has had two short documentaries made about his musical development and experience. He also authored a percussion method book series, “Spatial Studies for Hitting Things”, and writes musical and philosophical blogs on his website, drummojo.com. Josh really enjoys giving back to the community as well as mentoring young musicians and traveling. In this episode of the show, we talk about Josh's time in the Percussion Scholarship Program, a program for young percussionists in Chicago that our very own Sui-Lin was a member of. We also discuss his career in other symphonies such as an apprentice in the Detroit Symphony, the principal percussionist in the Calgary Symphony, and the principal in the Kansas City Symphony. Also mentioned are some ideas about auditioning including how to overcome anxiety and what to bring, the documentary Josh was featured on in 2016, the books that Josh has been writing "Spatial Studies for Hitting Things", and many more interesting and engaging topics. Still not sold on watching this episode? Here are a few wonderful quotes from our guest on the topic of auditioning: "Don't play it accurately, play it musically." "How do you play this to make YOU go... yeah" Thank you to our supporters on Patreon: Ellie You :) Thank you for your continued support! If you want to join them, you can click the link in our Instagram bio @tamspercpodcast to find all of our resources, including different ways to watch the show and ways to donate to us. Thank you for reading this, and enjoy the episode!

This week's episode is all about that bass. The Kansas City Symphony boasts one of the very best bass sections of any American orchestra, and we sit down with one of the members of this prestigious section, Mr. Caleb Quillen.  Get ready to unlock all the mysteries of the largest, lowest, and noblest instrument of the orchestra, learn about about French bows vs. German bows, and learn all about the bass section's knack for style and fashion. This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3gacSQcLZPILJdVpMgzdjW?si=ba6e974748c04c3a (Episode 406 Playlist)

Our sponsor: Houghton Horns - Use code "recipe" at checkout for 10% off the purchase of one "Recipe for Success" book for horn. More info in the episode! Code is valid through December 3rd.www.houghtonhorns.comwww.jessepatrickcook.comDr. . Jesse Cook is the Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Central Florida, and has also held appointments at Valdosta State University (GA), Pittsburg State University (KS) and Northeastern State University (OK). Dr. Cook received his DMA from the University of Texas at Austin. Among others, he has enjoyed performances with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Jacksonville Symphony. Dr. Cook has also appeared as a soloist in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #2 with the Austin Bach Cantata Project, Bernstein's Mass for Wind Ensemble and Brass Quintet with the Austin Symphonic Band, the Wind Ensemble at the University of Texas at Austin, and L'Histoire du Soldat with the Round Top Festival Orchestra Faculty.A frequent recitalist and clinician, Dr. Cook has performed for and instructed students at dozens of universities across Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Texas, Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. He has also written several articles published in the International Trumpet Guild Journal and was an invited speaker at the 2019 National Trumpet Competition, the 2019 International Trumpet Guild Conference, the 2017 Georgia Music Educators Association Conference, the 2014 Texas Music Educator Association annual conference and the 2014 International Trumpet Guild conference.Dr. Cook's principal instructors were Ray Sasaki, Mark Hughes, Mark Ridenour and Channing Philbrick.Support the show (https://thatsnotspit.com/support/)

Hear from Kansas City Symphony's Executive Director, Danny Beckley, as he shares stories and lessons on: Blazing trails Radical expansion Historic renovations of a community showpiece Orchestra for all How the pandemic created invitations  And much more You'll be inspired by his thoughtfulness, wisdom, insight, and trails blazed. 

Our sponsor: Houghton Horns - Use code "recipe" at checkout for 10% off the purchase of one "Recipe for Success" book for horn. More info in the episode! Code is valid through December 3rd.www.houghtonhorns.comOliverio Studies - https://oliveriostudios.com/new/In this episode, we're continuing the conversation Patrick and I started on a previous episode (#61) about Oliverio Studios.Patrick Oliverio is currently solo cornet with the Fountain City Brass Band, Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at Saginaw Valley State University, and is an active clinician and private lessons instructor in the Detroit metro area. He has had the pleasure of performing with ensembles such as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Patrick began his music education at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville which he attended for his undergraduate degree in trumpet performance. During his time in Fayetteville, Patrick had the pleasure of performing with The Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Arkansas Philharmonic, and the Fulbright Brass Quintet. Some of his selected achievements include: winning 1st and 2nd place at the state and regional level of the MTNA Soloist competition and the International Trumpet Guild's Scholarship Competition in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2013, Patrick moved to Kansas City with his wife Jennifer Oliverio and joined the award-winning group the Fountain City Brass Band. Since becoming full-time members, the FCBB have won their 7th US Open Competition and 5th North American Brass Band Championship. He also had the opportunity to tour with Fountain City to Gateshead, England in 2017 when they placed 2nd in Brass in Concert and 3rd in the Scottish Open Championship. In 2016, Patrick began his graduate studies at the University of Missouri - Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. During his masters studies Patrick had the pleasure of playing in the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and the Conservatory Wind Symphony under the direction of Professor Steven D. Davis. Patrick was a member and a soloist of the Wind Symphony during their featured performance at the 2017 CBDNA conference in Kansas City. That same year Patrick placed 1st in the Graduate Solo Division of the National Trumpet Competition in Denver, Colorado.In 2018, Patrick accepted a Graduate Teaching Assistantship at Michigan State University for his DMA studies. While at Michigan State Patrick has performed with the Beaumont Brass Quintet, Symphony Orchestra, and the Wind Symphony under the direction of Dr. Kevin Sedatole. Patrick has studied with phenomenal teachers such as Frank Campos, Ed Carroll, Justin Emerich, Dr. Richard Rulli, and Dr. Keith Benjamin.Patrick is an endorsing artist for Bach Trumpets. Support the show (https://thatsnotspit.com/support/)

This week on the podcast, we present the first of several interviews with incoming guest conductors on this season's Classical Series. Maestro Peter Oundjian joins the Kansas City Symphony for an exciting performance featuring works by Florence Price, Richard Strauss and Rimsky-Korsakov. Hear all about his career both as a world class violinist and conductor, how a thoughtful encounter with a conducting icon shaped his future, and find out what he's been up to since his last visit to KC in early 2020. This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ND0Id6Cztquj9d8LcOKXN?si=47720303a18a497f (Episode 404 Playlist )

We chat this week with another fabulous member of the Kansas City Symphony family, associate principal oboe Alison Chung. She is not only talented oboist, she is a prolific cook, baker, eater, and food blogger. Learn all about Alison's journey in music, and how her hungry and adventurous online alter ego, “Lil' Chung” came to be. This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0MgUj2VKzYCYKdiVDStMrL?si=1a24304c337a48f5 (Episode 402 Playlist)

A fascinating conversation with Kenny, who in June won the American Pianists Award, just the latest in a string of accomplishments for the 28-year-old pianist who performed Tuesday night with the Kansas City Symphony. He and his teacher Stanislav, an accomplished player in his own right, came together at Park University in 2016. Musical passions, dedication, competition, collaboration and more in delightful focus.

I hope to be around at 93, but to accomplish what Marilyn Maye has done in her time on earth, you must be an incredibly dedicated human. Listen to her talk about her remarkable career and what she has planned for Provincetown at The Art House this season. "MARK CORTALE & BROADWAY @ THE ART HOUSE are proud to present the legendary MARILYN MAYE with BILLY STRITCH at the piano for 10 shows only. Marilyn Maye is a highly praised singer, actress, director, arranger, educator, Grammy-nominated recording artist and a musical treasure. Her entire life has been committed to the art of song and performance. The award-winning Ms. Maye appeared 76 times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, the record for a singer. Perhaps the simplest Marilyn Maye accolade came after one of her show-stopping appearances on The Tonight Show when, turning to his audience of millions, Johnny Carson said, And that, young singers, is the way its done. Marilyn began her professional singing career by winning a 13-week appearance on radio station WIBW, Topeka, Kansas, at age 9. She has been committed her entire life to the art of song and performance. During her eleven-year engagement at the Colony in Kansas City, she was discovered by Steve Allen, who was the first to present her various times to a national television audience. The Steve Allen performances led her to an RCA recording contract. Her RCA recordings consist of seven albums and 34 singles, including the first hit recordings of Cabaret and Step to the Rear. Her album with full orchestra, The Lamp is Low, is considered a classic. Her place in American music history was assured when the Arts Council of the Smithsonian Institution selected one of her recordings, Too Late Now, for the Smithsonian-produced album of the 110 Best American Compositions of the Twentieth Century. Her many symphony concert appearances around the United States include the Florida Symphony, The Philly Pops, The Phoenix Symphony, The Kansas City Symphony, The Omaha Symphony, and in June, 2015, The Pasadena Symphony, Michael Feinstein conducting. Her two appearances with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall for tributes to Stephen Sondheim and Frank Loesser received show-stopping applause and rave reviews." --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stephanie7502/support

Welcome to the Percussion Pedagogy Podcast!This is my interview with Josh Jones and I'm so excited to share this with you!Josh is currently the Principal Percussionist with The Kansas City Symphony and  Adjunct Percussion Professor at UMKC. Josh is also extremely active online with dozens of free educational videos, instrument demonstrations, and truly uplifting content for everyone! Check him out on Instagram and Facebook!This episode dives into Josh's life, musician background, his snare drum practice routine/materials, and is filled with heartfelt information that will leave you smiling. Thank you for listening and please take a second to RATE and REVIEW us on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for being on the show, Josh! It was an honor to talk with you!Josh's WebsiteJosh's IGMuch love,Tommy Dobbs 

Today we are talking theater, mental health, diversity, and intention with Roy Lightner. Roy is an award-winning theatre creator, director, choreographer, and educator born and raised in Kansas City. He recently joined the Musical Theatre Faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as an Assistant Professor. Previously, Roy served as the Associate Artistic Director for the Transcendence Theatre Company, and also on the Musical Theatre Faculty of Ithaca College. As a national director for Dancers Inc., he toured the country as a master class teacher. Roy has taught at New York City's Professional Performing Arts School, as well as created the contemporary/musical theatre dance program for the Astoria School of Fine Arts. As a director/choreographer his credits include: Transcendence Theatre Company's productions of Those Dancin' Feet, Best of Broadway Under the Stars, Fantastical Family Night, This Magic Moment, Wine Country Speakeasy (creator/director), Gala Celebration, Oh, What a Night! (2015 Winner Best Director Broadway World San Francisco), Superheroes in Love, and Music of the Night; New York City Opera's Lucky to Be Me (Lincoln Center, assistant to Peggy Hickey), Hairspray, Miss Saigon (Sondheim Center), Legally Blonde (Arizona State University) Hound of the Baskervilles (Cape Playhouse, New Jersey Rep, Westin Playhouse, Depot Theatre). University of Alabama at Birmingham Productions: Disconnect, HAIR, Savage, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Working and Hairspray. Ithaca College productions: Dogfight, A Chorus Line, Under the Covers, How to Succeed…, Gone Missing, and Legally Blonde; Bring It On (Music Theatre of Kansas City), Pippin, Hairspray (Winner Best Director Broadway World KC), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Good News, Urban Cowboy, Starmites, Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and more. MTWichita: 2018 Festival Producer. Dance Concert choreographic credits include: two full-length original choreographic ballets Under the Covers (Ithaca College) and In Your Eyes (Miller-Marley Ballet Company), The Oklahoma City Dance Project, NYC's Community Dance Project, New York City's Jazz Choreography Enterprise, Astoria Fine Arts and B.C. Beat. Performance credits include: Babes in Toyland (Lincoln Center), a two time Kansas City Symphony principle soloist, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Stages St. Louis), Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Holland America's Grand World Voyage (lead singer/dancer), Geva Theatre, Oklahoma City Rep. and Music Theatre of Wichita's CATS (Mungojerrie), 7 Brides for 7 Brothers(Gideon), West Side Story (Baby John), Seussical (Wickersham), Hairspray(IQ), The Full Monty, Phantom, Aida, Beauty and the Beast and more totaling over 40 professional productions. He graduated summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University with a degree in Musical Theatre; and received his Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts with a Concentration in Performance Creation from Goddard College. You can find Roy at www.roylightner.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/todayichoose/support

Thanks to Ad-Trend Outdoor for sponsoring The Arts in KC Podcast! In Episode 13, John and Jim preview the upcoming 2018-19 seasons for Harriman-Jewell Series and the Kansas City Symphony. Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play and Sticher! Learn more about the Northland Symphony at NorthlandSymphony.org === Season Info: Harriman Jewell: https://www.hjseries.org/ Kansas City Symphony:  https://www.kcsymphony.org/StaticCtl/NewSeasonAct ===== Thanks to https://www.bensound.com/ for our bumper music

We are so proud to call Melissa Etheridge one of our own - a legendary Kansas Citian - and we've never been as proud as when Melissa performed an emotional national anthem before yesterday's Royals home opener. This morning we talked to Melissa on #TheShowKC about pulling together a performance amidst the energy and emotion of the "Ace" Ventura tribute, her old stomping ground on the Plaza and her future performance with the Kansas City Symphony.

Music in this podcast: Intro: Excerpt from Katyusha, Homage to D.Shostakivich - From the album Distant Voices by Frederich Chiu Interlude: Excerpt from Reflets dans l'eau (Reflections in the Water) - from the CD Distant Voices by Frederich Chiu Featured Piece: Sayyid Chant & Dance - Andante E Molto Cantabile Ed Espressivo - from the CD Hymns & Dervishes by Frederich Chiu Frederic Chiu's intriguing piano-playing and teaching springs from a diverse set of experiences and interests: his Asian/American/European background, his musical training, and an early and ongoing exploration of artificial intelligence and human psychology, especially the body-mind-heart connection. With over 20 CDs on the market, his repertoire includes the complete work of Prokofiev as well as popular classics of Chopin, Liszt and others, and lesser known masterpieces of Mendelssohn and Rossini, with a special place for the piano transcription. Many have been singled out, such as "Record of the Year" by Stereo Review, "Top 10 recordings" by the New Yorker, with raves from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. His most recent recordings demonstrate his wide range: Beethoven/Liszt Symphony V, Carnival of the Animals with David Gonzalez, and Hymns and Dervishes, music by Gurdjieff/de Hartmann. (hymnsanddervishescd.com) A new recording on the Yamaha Entertainment Group label, released in 2015, is a long-awaited recording of the music of Debussy, along with world premieres of work by Chinese composer Gao Ping. This recording breaks new ground, introducing the first Classical recording to the YEG catalogue. The performance will be released in Audio CD, DVD and DisklavierTV formats. Frederic Chiu has toured in Europe and the US with the Orchestre de Bretagne and Stefan Sanderling. He has played with the Hartford Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony, BBC Concert Orchestra, Estonia National Symphony, China National Symphony, the FOSJE Orquesta in Ecuador, among others. In recital he performs in the world's most prestigious halls including the Berlin Philharmonic, Kioi and Suntory Halls in Tokyo, Lincoln Center in New York and Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Mr. Chiu's musical partners include Joshua Bell, Pierre Amoyal, Elmar Oliveira, Gary Hoffman, David Krakauer, Matt Haimovitz and the St. Lawrence, Shanghai and Daedalus string quartets. Frederic Chiu recently premiered Edgar Meyer's Concert Piece with Joshua Bell. He has worked with many composers, including George Crumb, Frederick Rzewsky, Bright Sheng, Gao Ping and David Benoit. He was the recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Petscheck Award of the Juilliard School, and was a fellow of the American Pianist Association. He was also the "non-winner" of the 1993 Van Cliburn Competition, where his elimination from the finals caused an uproar in the press. Frederic Chiu is also committed to expanding the place of classical music. He has created unusual collaborations with personalities outside the world of Classical music, such as the Shakespearean actor Brian Bedford and psychologist/writer/clown Howard Buten. He worked with the hip-hop artist Socalled in the Messiaen Remix project. He does extensive work with children through concert/lectures for schools, and has brought classical music to places where it is rarely heard. Currently, he is performing with David Gonzalez in the classics Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals, transcribed for solo piano and narrator. He is also running a multi-year project called Classical Smackdown, in which audiences vote for their favorite composers (ClassicalSmackdown.com) Deeper Piano Studies, Frederic Chiu's innovative workshop program, brings together pianists from around the world to study aspects of piano playing usually left uncovered. Articles in Piano Today and the New York Times have featured his original approach to learning and performing that draws on ancient traditions of philosophy and meditation combined with the most recent discoveries in psychology and acoustic sciences, using non-traditional techniques such as cooking and learning without using the instrument. Frederic Chiu has been invited to many prestigious music schools and conservatories to present his DPS program, including the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Mannes College, The Banff Centre, Cornell University, Indiana University's Jacob Music School, and major conservatories in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, Shenyand and Wuhan. He has been guest artist at many state and national Teachers' Conferences. After 12 years spent in France, Frederic Chiu returned to the United States, where any free time he can find is divided between writing, painting and cooking. He also co-directs artistic activities at Beechwood Arts, an arts immersion non-profit in Connecticut.