Author: tg4kcco

Current Season

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KCCO’s 64th Season

Welcome to our 2022–2023 season!

Friday, December 9 at 7:30pm
Saturday, December 10 at 2:00pm
Atonement Lutheran Church
“Sounds of the Season”
Featuring the Atonement Jubilation Ringers and holiday favorites
Saturday, March 11 at 7:30pm
Atonement Lutheran Church
“Beethoven 7!”
Featuring guest conductor Alexandra Kovatch and works by Wagner and Beethoven
Saturday, May 6 at 5:30pm
Atonement Lutheran Church
“Transfigured Sound”
Featuring the Chatelain Young Artist, the William Jewell Women’s Chorus, and works by Handel, Debussy, and Strauss

An Epic Finale!

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Our final concert of the 2021/2022 season takes place on May 15 at Helzberg Hall. The performance will open with Borodin’s exciting Polovtsian Dances. Also featured will be Fauré’s beautiful Pelléas et Mélisande Suite and the finale movement of Anton Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 8. 

KCCO is also excited to present the first and second place winners of the 2022 Chatelain Young Artist Competition.  Making their debuts at Helzberg Hall will be William Savage (11, performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major) and Sophia Monroe (15, playing Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole).

Please note that, while the concert is free, tickets are required. Tickets may be reserved on the Kauffman Center website or by calling the box office at 816.994.7222. Parking is also available ($10, or $18 for valet parking) and may be purchased when you reserve your tickets.

Concert Program

Polovtsian Dances (Alexander Borodin)

Chatelain Young Artist Solos
William Savage (cello) performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major
Sophia Monroe (violin) performing Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole

Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80 (Gabriel Urbain Fauré)
Prélude (quasi adagio)
Fileuse (andantino quasi allegretto)
Sicilienne (allegro molto moderato)
Mort de Mélisande (molto adagio)

Symphony No. 8, in C minor, WAB 108, Haas Ed. (Anton Bruckner)
Finale: Feierlich nicht schnell – langsamer

2022 Chatelain Young Artists

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This year’s Chatelain Young Artist competition drew several extremely talented musicians. For the first time ever, KCCO judges invoked the option to have both first and second place winners perform at our season finale concert at Helzberg Hall. Meet our winners!

First Place Winner, Will Savage

11-year old Will Savage is in fifth grade at Lakewood Elementary School in Overland Park. Will studies cello with Susie Yang and plays in the Youth Symphony of Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra. He started studying when he was three with Sheila Kilcoyne in Washington state, after falling in love with the cello and begging to start lessons as a one-year-old. Will dreams of playing Mahler as a cellist in the New York Philharmonic and writing a symphony someday. He also enjoys basketball, ping-pong, swimming, board games, Lego, math, reading, and cheering on the Chiefs.

 

Second Place Winner, Sophia Monroe

Sophia Monroe is a 15-year-old violinist from Overland Park, Kansas. Sophia began studying the violin at the age of two with Christy Paxton in Bentonville, AR. As a teenager she studied under the instruction of Rebecca Metzger-Cutler, and she currently studies with Dr. Zsolt Eder. Sophia has had the privilege of performing with the Ozark Festival Orchestra as a soloist. She was also thrilled to perform as a soloist with the Fort Smith Symphony as part of the “Earquake!” concert series. During the concert series, she was able to share her love of music and the arts as she performed for over 5,000 local children. Sophia has also been privileged to take masterclasses with various artists such as Time for Three, Elizabeth Pitcairn, and Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt. She also volunteers her time to perform at nursing homes and VA homes. In her free time, Sophia enjoys ice skating and origami.

Praise for Senior Outreach Performances (Jan/Feb 2022)

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Our staff and residents are still talking about your amazing performance a week later.  You brought so much joy to our community. We are looking forward to having you back very soon!!Kathy, Novel Place

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer, Just wanted to say thank you so much for coming today! You are such a blessing to come every month and share your talent with us!Susan, Mission Chateau

2022 Chatelain Young Artist Competition

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2022 Chatelain Young Artist Competition

Thank you to the young artists who registered for this season’s competition! Stay tuned for the announcement of our winner.

How to enter:

  • Review the competition rules below.
  • Download the application form.
  • Mail the form and your $35 application fee to Kansas City Civic Orchestra, P.O. Box 224, Shawnee Mission, KS 66201.
  • (Registration is closed.)

Competition Rules and Guidelines

  1. All entries will perform in front of competition judges on Sunday, February 27, 2:00pm. 
  2. The concerto competition is for ages 11-19.
  3. Perform from standard concerto/art piece of substantial length, between 8 – 22 minutes total.
  4. Applicants will perform their entire selected movement/work. Cuts can only be taken in the accompaniment.
  5. The competition is open to all instrumentalists except piano, saxophone, and percussion.
  6. First Prize: Performance with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra on May 15, 2022, at Helzberg Hall (Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts) and a cash award of $500.00.
  7. Second Prize: Recognition in our March and May concerts.
  8. Kansas City Civic Orchestra reserves the right to have both first and second place winners perform at the May performance.
  9. Winner(s) must be available for rehearsals on: Tuesday, May 3 & 10 (between 7:30pm–9:30pm) and Sunday, May 15 at Helzberg Hall (between Noon–2pm.) Specific times within these rehearsals will be assigned at a later date.
  10. All room/board/transportation is at the expense of the competition participant.
  11. The $35.00 application fee is non-refundable.
  12. Competition recital date/time/place is non-negotiable.
  13. Competition participants must supply their respective instrument at audition/performance.
  14. Competition participants must supply their own accompanist at audition.
  15. Judges may come from within or may be guests of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra.
  16. Winner selection will be announced and emailed at the end of the audition day.
  17. Judges’ decision is final.
  18. The Kansas City Civic Orchestra may decide not to award winners/prizes.

Failure to abide by these guidelines and rules may result in participant’s disqualification.

Dementia360/KAIROS Memory Cafe’ Outreach

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What a beautiful day our KAIROS Memory Cafe’ attendees experienced in October when Jennifer came and played for us! Music is so important for those living with dementia. There are many health benefits of music, including boosting mood, reducing agitation and stress, improving focus, relieving symptoms of depression, stimulating memories, expressing feelings, managing, and easing pain, and even heart-healthy – research shows that blood flows more easily when music is played. As you can see from the pictures, we really enjoyed the music, and we cannot wait to have Jennifer join us again! Thank you, Kansas City Civic Orchestra, for sharing her with us today! You exceeded our expectations!!Christi Crawford, Dementia360 Consulting/KAIROS Memory Cafe'

Corinth Elementary Outreach

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Outreach coordinator Jennifer Mitchell’s visit to Corinth Elementary on October 7 was a big hit! Beautiful weather allowed for a safely distanced outdoor performance.

2019-2020 Chatelain Young Artist Theodore Ohly

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KCCO was honored to be joined by Theodore Ohly, winner of our 2019-2020 Chatelain Young Artist Competition, at our April concert at Yardley Hall. Due to Covid safety precautions, this performance was pre-recorded without a live audience. It is available to view on our YouTube channel. Theodore performed symphonie espagnole (mvt. 1).

Chatelain Concerto Winner Teddy OhlyTheodore Ohly, 14, began studying violin at age 5.  He took Skype lessons with Julian Meyer of Philadelphia, who had been his mother’s teacher for three years.  When the Ohly family moved to the Kansas City area in 2015, he began studies with Noah Geller, concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony. Currently, he studies with ChiaFei Lin, associate concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony.  Theodore is a member of the Ohly trio, along with his brother Oscar (cello) and sister Lucy (violin).  He was concertmaster of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City Academy Orchestra during the 2019-2020 season. Theodore also plays soccer, runs, and is on the SMNW tennis team.  He is currently a freshman at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.

We look forward to resuming our Chatelain Young Artist Competition in our 2021-2022 season.

Jennifer Mitchell

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Jennifer Mitchell is a former strings teacher, long-time member of KCCO,
and outreach program rockstar!

A love that began in kindergarten…

My love for the violin began in Kindergarten after hearing a 1st grader perform “Twinkle, Twinkle”.  We lived in Clay Center, Ks at the time, and were lucky to find a wonderful Suzuki teacher right away.

When my family moved to Kansas City in 1969, I began taking lessons from Tiberius Klausner and became a member of the KC Youth Symphony, eventually becoming the Concert Mistress.

In 1975, the Kansas City Civic Orchestra gave me a full scholarship to attend the UMKC Conservatory and I have been a member of KCCO ever since, minus a couple years when my kids were born.

Upon graduation from UMKC, I became an elementary strings teacher in Shawnee Mission East Area for 36 years.  Following my retirement, I helped create the KCCO Outreach program.  It has been an AMAZING experience as part of the elementary Outreach team playing for over 13,00 students on both sides of the state line.  I also enjoy playing 50-minute programs each month for seniors at six different assisted and memory centers who are no longer able to attend live performances. 

Then came COVID 19.

While I REALLY missed playing for elementary students this year, I was able to move my outreach program OUTSIDE and continue playing for seniors during spring, summer and fall.  Being part of KCCO’s “Civic in the City” was another amazing opportunity to perform in front of live audiences who were as excited to hear live music as I was to share it with them.

Currently I continue to perform for seniors via Facebook Messenger and am looking forward to more opportunities to play this spring as the weather warms up.