Our Conductor
Dr. Chris Kelts
Conductor Christopher Kelts is recognized for his compelling artistry, imaginative programming, and collaborative leadership across professional, collegiate, and community orchestras. Equally at home leading standard orchestral masterworks, championing overlooked repertoire, and developing the next generation of musicians, Kelts has cultivated a reputation for performances that combine musical integrity with intellectual curiosity and a deep commitment to audience engagement. His work reflects a belief that orchestral music is both a living artistic tradition and a powerful vehicle for storytelling, cultural dialogue, and community connection.
Kelts serves as Director of Orchestras at the University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) Conservatory of Music, Dance and Theater, where he leads the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and founded the UMKC Philharmonic Orchestra, restoring a large-scale orchestral experience for undergraduate musicians while creating new opportunities for collaboration with students across the Conservatory. His work at UMKC encompasses orchestral performance, conducting pedagogy, score study, and artistic mentorship, preparing emerging musicians for careers in professional performance, education, and arts leadership.
In addition to his academic appointment, Kelts serves as Music Director of the Saint Joseph Symphony, Music Director of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, and Music Director and Conductor of the Kinnor Philharmonic Orchestra, where he has shaped each ensemble through ambitious artistic planning, innovative collaborations, and programming that thoughtfully connects audiences with both the orchestral canon and significant underperformed repertoire.
His concerts frequently juxtapose familiar masterworks with rediscovered voices, reflecting a commitment to expanding the orchestral repertoire without losing sight of the traditions that define it. Under his leadership, audiences have encountered works by composers including Mieczysław Weinberg, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, William Grant Still, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Marcel Tyberg and other composers whose music has only recently begun to receive the recognition it deserves. These performances are often presented within broader historical and cultural narratives, inviting audiences to experience orchestral music as both artistic expression and historical witness.
Kelts has become particularly known for his advocacy of Jewish composers and music connected to the Holocaust. Through performances, educational initiatives, and collaborations with cultural organizations, he has explored themes of resilience, identity, remembrance, and hope, bringing renewed attention to composers whose voices were marginalized or silenced. His work with the Kinnor Philharmonic Orchestra has established the ensemble as an important artistic presence dedicated to celebrating Jewish musical heritage while embracing the broader orchestral tradition.
An active guest conductor, Kelts has appeared with orchestras throughout the United States, including the Gateway Festival Orchestra, St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, Topeka Symphony Orchestra, the East Tennessee State University Summer Chamber Music Festival Orchestra, and the New Mexico All-State Orchestra. He is equally sought after as a clinician and educator, presenting conducting masterclasses, orchestral clinics, and professional development workshops for university students, music educators, and honor orchestras.
Praised for his clarity on the podium and collaborative rehearsal style, Kelts approaches conducting as an act of partnership. His rehearsals emphasize careful listening, stylistic understanding, and musical ownership, fostering an environment in which musicians are challenged, respected, and inspired to perform at their highest level. Whether working with seasoned professionals or emerging artists, he is committed to building performances through communication, trust, and a shared artistic purpose.
Kelts’ programming frequently explores broad artistic themes that connect orchestral music with history, literature, visual art, and contemporary society. His seasons have featured collaborations with dancers, choirs, soloists, composers, museums, and educational institutions, creating multidisciplinary experiences that broaden the reach of the symphony orchestra while deepening audience engagement. These projects reflect his conviction that orchestras thrive when they serve as cultural centers within their communities—places where artistic excellence, education, and civic engagement intersect.
As a university educator, Kelts has distinguished himself as a mentor to aspiring conductors and orchestral musicians. His teaching emphasizes comprehensive score preparation, historical context, orchestral rehearsal techniques, leadership development, and the cultivation of expressive, informed performance. Students under his guidance have gone on to successful careers as conductors, performers, teachers, and arts administrators, carrying forward his belief that musical excellence is inseparable from curiosity, integrity, and lifelong learning.
Before joining the faculty at UMKC, Kelts held conducting and teaching appointments at Missouri State University and Washburn University, where he led orchestral programs recognized for artistic achievement and student development. Throughout his career he has remained deeply committed to cultivating educational opportunities for young musicians and strengthening the role of orchestras within their communities.
Kelts earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. He holds a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Illinois State University and a Bachelor of Music from Missouri State University.
A member of the Conductors Guild, the College Orchestra Directors Association, NAfME, the Missouri Music Educators Association, and the American String Teachers Association, Kelts remains active as a performer, educator, adjudicator, and advocate for the orchestral profession.
At the center of Christopher Kelts’ artistic philosophy is a simple conviction: the orchestra is one of society’s most powerful collaborative institutions. Whether presenting the great symphonic repertoire, illuminating overlooked masterpieces, mentoring emerging conductors, or forging new relationships between orchestras and their communities, he seeks to create performances that are intellectually engaging, emotionally resonant, and enduring in their impact.