Category: Outreach Events

2023 Chatelain Young Artist Competition

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KCCO is pleased to announce the winner of our 2023 Chatelain Young Artist Competition!

Winner Aaron Tseng and Runner Up Mary So

Aaron Tseng is 16 years old and a junior at Blue Valley North High School. He has studied violin for 11 years with Michael Arbucci 2010-2018, Chia-fei Lin 2018-present, and Professor Benny Kim 2019-present. He participated in the masterclasses of Ken Hamao in 2020, David Colwell in 2021, Zsolt Eder and Dr. Maureen Yuen in 2022. He has studied theory/composition with Dr. Kurt Knecht in 2020 and Dr. Garrett Hope 2020-present. He has participated in BVN school orchestra, Youth Symphony Kansas City, and Heartland Chamber Music. Aaron is concertmaster of YSKC 2018- 2020, winner of Kansas Music Teachers Association State Honors Audition string division 2020, three-year KMEA All-State orchestra member 2020-23, concertmaster of BVN orchestra 2022-23, winner of Overland Park Orchestra Youth Soloist Auditions 2023, and winner of Mid-America Performing Arts Alliance Young String Competition 2023. Aaron aspires to be a musician. He loves to play beautiful music for people. He has one cat and two dogs. 

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.

Outreach Continues – Virtually

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outreach performance from homeoutreach outside the gateOn Monday, June 1st, outreach coordinator Jennifer Mitchell shared her talents with residents of Jackson Creek Memory Care (performing from her own living room).

Later that day she performed outside for residents of Hidden Lake Care Center and TWICE for residents at the John Knox Care Center.

Civic in the City

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An expansion of our outreach efforts initiated by violinist Jennifer Mitchell, “Civic in the City” is a series of recitals prepared and performed in various neighborhoods around the metro area. Debbie Allen, KCCO principal clarinetist, began the program with a series of recitals in her neighborhood in 2020, and it has continued to grow over the last three summers. 

Upcoming Performances

August 25 at 7:00pm
(rain date August 26)
New Longview Farms
904 SW Redbuck Cr.
Lee’s Summit, MO 64081
(new pavilion down the hill from the pool)

September 9 at 4:00pm
(rain date September 10)
Wilshire Clubhouse/Pool
13116 Delmar
Leawood, KS 66209

Previous Performances

A highlight of Civic in the City is the performance of an original composition for string quartet, As The River Flows, written by our own Debbie Allen.  The inspiration for the composition was watching nature unfold in all its glory while sheltering in place, at the onset of the virus.  As The River Flows includes three movements: Life Endures, Nature Restores, and Water Glistens.

 

 

2019 Instrument Petting Zoo

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Our annual Instrument Petting Zoo helps foster an appreciation for music by introducing children to different instruments and even giving them the chance to try playing them. This year’s participants also got to hear a few riffs from some of our talented orchestra members!

The Petting Zoo takes place before our November concert matinee performance. It is free and open to the public.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Mark Center Outreach Event

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Young students at the St. Mark Center were visited by KCCO violinist Abigail Walden.

“There was so much excitement as the students, 10 months to 15 months old, huddled around to see the violin up close and pluck the strings. Students listened closely to learn what sound each string made as [KCCO musician Abigail] Walden strummed them one by one.”

Read more about “Orchestra Hour at St. Mark Center” here.

Praise for the Petting Zoo

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It’s a great feeling to know you’ve impacted the life of a budding musician! The following was submitted by the parent of one of our petting zoo attendees. Looks like we got Olivia hooked!

This is long overdue, but I wanted to thank you for the instrument petting zoo that was held in November.  My 7 year old daughter was fascinated by the violin and we began lessons last December.  The opportunity you provided made an impact that we as family will never forget.  There are days when we have to tell her that she’s practicing too much!  The violin has become an important part of our lives because of the petting zoo!

[Olivia] tells everyone she meets that she plays the violin.  We recently attended the KC Symphony performance for Harry Potter and afterward she talked about how each violinist had their own way of playing and holding their violin. I think she stared at the musicians the whole time instead of watching the movie!   Music education is vital to our society and I’m happy that my husband and I can give Olivia this opportunity.  – Lucinda Adams

 

Making Outreach a Family Affair

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Jennifer Mitchell always enjoys playing her violin for young students, but she had EXTRA FUN in Iowa earlier this year when she performed for her Grandson Will’s preschool classes.

With the help of Jennifer’s son Aaron, the kids got to hold an old violin, run their fingers through bow hair, sing, dance, and even conduct as she played lots of familiar tunes for them. More budding musicians in the making!

 

The kids still talk about you coming in and playing for them.  You made an impact for sure!  Kids have pretended to be you by turning the blocks into a violin.  Just wanted to share that with you! Thank you again for coming in. – Jill Larsen, Crayons 2 Pencils Early Learning Center

 

See Jennifer in action here on the Crayons 2 Pencils Facebook page.

KCCO Outreach – The Video

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Take a look inside KCCO outreach events!

We love sharing stories, pictures, and feedback from our outreach events through social media and here on our site, and those posts give you a great peek inside our outreach programs. However, they don’t fully communicate everything that goes into our events or how it feels to attend them. Now, thanks to the video below, we’re able to do that!

In the video, masterfully produced by Sharon Steele, you’ll get an in-depth look at our outreach performances for schools. You’ll hear directly from our outreach coordinators why they do what they do and how they do it so effectively. (Hint: Audience participation is key!) And you’ll see for yourself the kinds of responses they get from the students they play for. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!