The 51st season of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra kicks off at 7:30 pm Saturday, October 24, 2009 — you won’t want to miss Triumpant Sounds featuring guest cellist Ruslan Biryukov.
We have five exciting concerts planned for this year:
[[CONCERTS]]Author: tg4kcco
A New Season Begins!
September, 2009
Good afternoon friends,
This is my first blog entry to the newly revamped Kansas City Civic Orchestra (KCCO) Web site. I hope that you will take some time to look around at the historical photos, our new short video documentary, and of course our 51st season schedule! It looks to be another great year for music in the greater Kansas City area.
Our opening season concert will take place this October 24. It is a very exciting concert as it features all three of my most favorite composers: Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and of course, Brahms. I love to program seasons. Of course a conductor looks at budget, personnel, venue, etc., but picking a program is a lot of fun and gets me looking at repertoire from all genres, sizes, “popular” and less frequently performed works.
The Wagner, Die Meistersinger Prelude, I chose due to its massive use of the orchestra. It’s been a long summer, and I wanted to use the most players as possible to let our listeners see and hear how wonderful the size of the KCCO has grown.
Symphony No. 2 by Brahms is probably one of the most popular of his four symphonic works. Aside from it being just long enough in duration to program other works of substantial size, to a wonderful key of D major – Brahms really shows off his lyrical and beautiful writing in his second symphony. Plain and simple – it’s a wonderful work – beautiful sounds mixed with a triumphant finale movement.
Our featured soloist for this concert is a wonderful cellist, Ruslan Biryukov. He will be performing Tchaikovsky’s charming Rococo Variations for Cello and Orchestra. This work is comprised as a theme and variation form. It is quite easy to follow musically, and the cello technique is demonstrated with a sort of “Russian/Viennese Class.” Without a doubt you WILL enjoy Mr. Biryukov’s playing. I encourage you to bring your cellist friends to hear his performance.
THE INTERNET: What do I mean? All of the pieces listed above can be observed visually and audibly from a wonderful site called www.YouTube.com – I am not ashamed to say that I am completely addicted to this site. You can observe some of music’s most wonderful performances as well as other postings from all other musical organizations. I urge you to give a listen.
Well, I must be off. The KCCO has a lot of rehearsing to do. I look forward to writing many more blog entries, and look forward to seeing you all at our concerts. Stay up to speed on our Web site – and always it is great pleasure for me and the members of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra to bring you our music.
Chris
Celebrating 50 Years of Making Music
The Kansas City Civic Orchestra celebrated its 50th Anniversary with the 2008-2009 season. We are very proud to have been serving the Kansas City community for so many years and thank you, our dedicated listeners, for your continued support. We look forward to the next 50 years!
Kelts Prepares For Second Season
A native of St. Louis, Christopher Kelts is ready to begin his second season as music director/conductor of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra. He also conducts the Eastern Jackson County Youth Orchestra, and has guest conducted with the Chamber Orchestra of the Ozarks and the Atchison Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Kelts is also the former assistant conductor of the Kansas City Ballet.
Mr. Kelts is currently finishing a doctoral conducting degree from UMKC-Conservatory of Music & Dance. He holds degrees in orchestral conducting; studying with such teachers as Robert Olson, Glenn Block, and Paul Vermel. Alongside his conducting training, Mr. Kelts is also a trained violist. His teachers include Karen Tuttle, Kate Hamilton, and Amy Muchnick. While at UMKC, Mr. Kelts served as assistant conductor of the Conservatory Orchestras and Opera. He has performed such operas as Le nozze di Figaro, Il Ritorno di Ulisses in Patria, Sussanah, Pirates of Penzanc e, Hansel and Gretel, Guilo Cesare, and Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. [nggallery id=1]
For the past seven years, Christopher Kelts has served as faculty and conductor for Missouri State University’s Summer String Institute. Mr. Kelts is currently faculty for the Stringedo String Insitute through the Conservatory’s Academy of Music & Dance.
50th Season Finale
7:00pm July 1, 2009Village Presbyterian Church 6641 Mission Road
Christopher Kelts KCCO conductor with Mark Ball, VPC Music Director
- Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”
- Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”
- Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” narrated by Brian Steale
- Thompson’s “Testament of Freedom” with Mark Ball & the VPC Men’s Chorus
Kansas City Civic Orchestra with Village Presbyterian Church Men’s Choir in a special summer performance.
Special Guest Conductor Ander Vesce
Ander Vesce won our lottery in order to guest conduct our special Holiday Spectacular concert December 13, 2008 — GREAT JOB, Ander!
httpssv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoD0itiHCoY
Brett Gibson performs with Kansas City Civic Orchestra
From the May, 2007 United States National Accordion News on-line
Kansas City based musician Brett Gibson received a rousing standing ovation and encore performance for his rendition of Piazzolla’s Concerto when he made his debut with the Kansas City Civic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Andy Anderson.
Brett was born in Auckland, New Zealand but now makes his home in the Kansas City area of the United States where he has established himself as one of the leading accordion specialists in the Celtic music scene having performed several seasons with The Elders, Gabriels Gate and is a regular musician with Eddie Delahunt. Brett began playing the accordion at age seven and at the age of 12 won his first New Zealand championship for that age category and continued to seriously perform and compete into his late teens as a soloist and with duet, trio, quartet, ensemble and orchestra. He went on to tour overseas with both the Air New Zealand Accordion Orchestra and also the UMKC Accordion Orchestra.
The Kansas City Civic Orchestra focuses on community enrichment and interaction, drawing players from all walks of life and bringing music to people of all ages and interests, the Kansas City Civic Symphony’s concert on Saturday was the last in the 48th season.
Uthe stands out in fine rendition of Puccini’s ‘Edgar’
Posted Thursday, August 18, 2005
by Timothy McDonald, Arts Writer
The Johnson County Sun
The Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City and the Kansas City Civic Orchestra presented a fine production of the rarely performed opera “Edgar” by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini at the Folly Theater last weekend.
“Edgar” was Puccini’s second opera, written for Milan’s Teatro alla Scala in 1889. While it does not approach the name recognition of the composer’s more mature works (“Madama Butterfly,” “La Bohème” and “Tosca), “Edgar” contains its fair share of voluptuous melodies.
The semi-staged production featured an onstage orchestra partially hidden from view by sets, a small chorus veiled in monks’ robes, and five principal singers. The placement of the orchestra resulted in a better balance between voices and instruments than has been the case in previous productions employing the Folly pit.
The opera was cast well, particularly with regard to the women’s roles. Megan King portrayed the pure-hearted shepherdess Fidelia, and sang splendidly with her lovely, light soprano voice.
Stacey Stofferahn Uthe was the standout singer in the role of the lusty and wild Tigrane. The darker coloring made a fine contrast with King’s, and her rapid passages were nicely delivered. In her opening piece, though, the low range did not project well.
Bruce Burstert as Frank and Robert Grady in the title role of Edgar generally sang well and with expression. Grady sang with a tight upper range that was not always attractive in Act I, but improved markedly in later acts.
Opera librettos can be convoluted, but that of “Edgar” was downright silly at times, with plot twists and references that make you want to jump up and say “huh?” The music was wonderful, though, and included a welcome number of marvelous orchestral interludes, played with passion by the Civic Orchestra under the direction of Andy Anderson.
The Civic Opera and Orchestra are to be commended for taking a chance on a little known work by a major composer and turning into a wonderful evening of summer opera.
Civic Opera’s ‘Edgar’ a solo success
OPERA Review: Civic Opera’s ‘Edgar’ a solo success
Posted Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2005
By PAUL HORSLEY
The Kansas City Star
In opera, you can hear only so many “La Bohèmes” before you are ready to move on to fresh fare.
On Sunday at the Folly Theater, I found myself fascinated and more than a little amused by Puccini’s early opera “Edgar,” in a shoestring production by the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City.
Despite being the composer’s first completed opera, it is hardly a primitive piece: It predates his “Manon Lescaut” by only four years and “Bohème” by just seven. It contains the Debussian parallel chords and Wagnerian orchestration of the later works, not to mention the ferocious choral climaxes. Its voluptuous vocalism is, if anything, refreshingly unfettered compared to the more mannered restraint of the later works.
The Civic Opera’s “Edgar” won the heart with remarkable solo singing and an inventive stage setup that might prove revelatory for future small-scale opera productions here.
The orchestra was upstage, largely hidden by the stage set — designer Laura Burkhart’s lowlying representation of a wall, a set of glass doors and so forth — and a choir of monks.
This allowed the leads to sing from the stage extension, which thrust them into the audience’s front-and-center view. Three video monitors allowed them to follow conductor Andy Anderson, who was well behind them.
The setup somehow filled the hall with amazingly rich sound. From the balcony, I heard a blend between soloist and orchestra that was as fine as you get in any theater in Kansas City.
Granted, the performance remained earthbound by marginal choral males and unpredictable orchestral playing by the Kansas City Civic Orchestra. And the supertitles were so faint as to be unreadable, leaving us to rely on our college Italian.
But none of this obscured the fine solo performances. Bruce Burstert as the hotheaded Frank sang with a warm, mellow sound. Robert Grady in the title role belted out the high notes, at least, with precision, and commanded the part despite some lack of vocal support, which might explain why his voice was failing by Act 3. Phil Eatherton showed off a highly polished voice in the small role of Gualtiero.
Stacey Stofferahn Uthe’s focused, penetrating voice made her ideal for the torchy Gypsy
Tigrana. Act 3 belonged to Megan King as Fidelia, which she inhabited with a sparkling, textured soprano and a mature dramatic grasp.
The Civic Opera continues to take risks and to score marginal successes despite its use of volunteer performers. For a few dollars more, the company could easily pass into the ranks of truly significant local arts groups.
