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Past Season Concerts

2019 – 2020 Concert Details

Night Reflections
09/26/2019
7:30 p.m.
Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral

Kicking off the season with guest conductor Anthony Maglione and a constellation of beautiful music both old and new! Including Haydn’s Symphony No. 44 “Trauer”, one of his favorites, Arensky’s popular tribute to Tchaikovsky, the meditative reflection on evening prayer by Arvo Pärt, Trisagion, and contemporary woman composer Jessie Montgomery’s energetic Starburst. Let the shimmering strings and lusty winds of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra charm you and fill your autumn evening with soothing, dramatic, and exciting music!

Anton Arensky - Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky
Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 44 "Trauer"
Jessie Montgomery - Starburst
Arvo Pärt - Trisagion

Magnificent Holidays
12/10/2019
7:30 p.m.
Old Mission United Methodist Church

Come home to great music for the holidays! The KCCO returns to J.S. Bach's incredible Magnificat for their holiday Baroque by Candlelight concert. Including over 25 musicians, 30 singers, 5 of the best Bach soloists in the country, Maestro Bruce Sorrell, a beautiful Telemann concerto for Oboe d'amore and one beloved magnificent work for chorus and orchestra - this will be a great way to kick off your holidays. Come into our "home" and the warm candlelit sound of Old Mission Methodist Church just off the Plaza and celebrate the season with great music.

Telemann - Concerto for Oboe d'amore
Bach - Magnificat

Enchanted Strings
02/12/2020
7:30 p.m.
Folly Theater

Fall in love with great music this Valentine’s with a program full of heartwarming works for string orchestra, including the passion and beauty of Debussy’s Sacred and Profane Dances with solo harp, the incredible Lark Ascending by Vaughn Williams with violin soloist, and the creative youth and passion of Schubert's Symphony No. 5!  Round out your evening with our Champagne and Chocolate Celebration immediately following the concert at the Folly. Join us for mid-week musical magic in the city!


Elena Kats-Chernin – Moon Feather Magic 
Claude Debussy – Sacred and Profane Dances 
    Katherine Siochi, harp soloist
Pietro Mascagni – Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana 
Maurice Ravel – Pavane pour une infante défunte 
Ralph Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending 
    Tamamo Someya Gibbs, violin soloist
Franz Schubert – Symphony No. 5

Mystical Seasons
Cancelled

A season finale concert with one of classical music's most beloved works - Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and a blockbuster list of exciting young soloists from the International Center for Music! ​Including concertos for cello and piano, plus four talented violinists who each take a "season" of the Vivaldi, the concert will be full of the beauty and thrill of spring brought to you by the shimmering strings of the KCCO and music from Boccherini to Shostakovich! Award winning pianist Kenny Broberg, violinist Igor Khukhua, and others will join the orchestra to provide the magic!


Vivaldi – Four Seasons
Boccherini – Concerto for Cello in B-flat Major
Shostakovich – Concerto in C Minor for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings

2018 – 2019 Concert Details

Musical Passages

7:30 p.m.

Old Mission United Methodist Church
Fairway, KS

 

Our journey begins. The KCCO will pair signature joyful baroque and classical repertoire by Bach and Haydn with contemporary composer Jean Belmont Ford’s beautiful Vocalise, all in an intimate candlelight setting.

Johann Sebastian Bach  Orchestra Suite No. 1

Jean Belmont Ford  Vocalise  

Sarah Tannehill Anderson, soprano

Franz Joseph Haydn  Symphony No. 7 , Le Midi  (Noon)

Bach Home for the Holidays

7:30 p.m.

Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral​

Kansas City, MO

 

A rare performance of J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio by the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra with Musica Vocale, conducted by Arnold Epley. The performance features vocal soloists Jay Carter, Kyle Stegall, Jason Steigerwalt and Lindsey Lang. Kick off the holiday season with this Christmas narrative as seen through the eyes of the angels, shepherds, and magi – some of Bach's most sublime music!

 

J. S. Bach  Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, parts 1 - 3

Bridges of the Heart

7:30 p.m.

Folly Theater
Kansas City, MO

 

Our signature Valentine’s concert for lovers of great music! A concert in partnership with Park University International Center for Music, featuring award-winning soloists Dilshod Narzillaev (cello), Laurel Gagnon (violin), Igor Khukhua (violin), and Vladislav Kosminov (piano).

 

Bach  Coffee Cantata

Suzanne Anderson, soprano

Joshua Lawlor, baritone

Frank Fleschner, tenor

Brahms  Liebeslieder Waltzes

Arthur Foote  A Night Piece

Christina Webster, flute

Guest conductor, Ward Holmquist

Spanning the Centuries

8:00 p.m.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Kansas City, MO

 

With an inspiring range of music from Mozart to modern, this season finale will be both intimate and enthralling. Including iconic works like Mozart's Symphony No. 40, a beautiful string work Virtuosities by award-winning contemporary composer Dorothy Chang, beloved opera arias and more, the KCCO connects Classical and Romantic favorites of the ages with the excitement of classical music today!

Beethoven  Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43
Tchaikovsky  Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 Rossini: Overture to La Scala di Seta
Dorothy Chang  Virtuosities
Mozart  Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550
Mozart  Arias

Jazz Nights on the Boulevard!

5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Crossroads Hotel

Kansas City, MO

 

A jumpin' jazz era, old KC event with music from KCCO, a jazz band, singer and more - PLUS dinner, cocktails and an auction! Bruce says "you better be there - and the password is Mozart is the Bee's Knees!"

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2017 – 2018 Concert Details

Autumn Winds

10/05/17

7:30 p.m.

Medallion Theater
Kansas City, MO

 

Wonderful celebratory works by Mozart and a piece written for the Chamber Orchestra by composer Forrest Pierce. Set in the beautifully restored Medallion Theater, the concert will also feature soloist Margaret Marco on oboe d'amore. Celebrating a new fall season with the warmth and beauty of great music!

 

Mozart  Symphony No. 29 in A Major

Forrest Pierce  A Siege of Herons

Margaret Marco, oboe d’amore soloist

Mozart  Divertimento No. 11 in D Major

St. Nicolas!

12/05/17

7:30 p.m.

Old Mission United Methodist Church

Fairway, KS

 

The beloved Bach Concerto for Violin and Oboe and Vivaldi's vibrant Concerto for 4 Violins in B minor open this beautiful celebration of great music for the holidays by the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. The Musica Vocale choral ensemble joins the KCCO for Benjamin Britten's Saint Nicolas cantata for orchestra, chorus and soloists. David Adams sings the leading role in this glorious retelling of the life of the real historic figure.

Bach  Concerto for Violin and Oboe

Vivaldi  Concerto for 4 Violins in B minor

Britten  Saint Nicolas cantata

Valentine Serenades

02/13/18

6:30 p.m.

Californos event space
Kansas City, MO

 

Celebrating Valentine's and Mardi Gras with appetizers and cocktails followed by an elegant three course dinner and a romantic concert by KC Chamber Orchestra strings! This intimate evening features J.S. Bach's delightful Coffee Cantata performed by some of KC's finest vocal soloists - Suzanne Anderson, Joshua Lawlor and Frank Fleschner - under the direction of guest conductor Ward Holmquist.  A chocolate box of gorgeous melodies and lilting tunes in the Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes and Arthur Foote's luscious A Night Piece with flute soloist Christina Webster complete the musical bonbons on the program. A perfect way to serenade your friends or a special loved one!

 

Bach  Coffee Cantata

Suzanne Anderson, soprano

Joshua Lawlor, baritone

Frank Fleschner, tenor

Brahms  Liebeslieder Waltzes

Arthur Foote  A Night Piece

Christina Webster, flute

Guest conductor, Ward Holmquist

New Spring Horizons

04/27/18

8:00 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center

Kansas City, MO

 

The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and the incredible young talent from the International Center for Music at Park University present a captivating evening featuring some of the most iconic classical concertos. Travel the road from the playfulness and vivacity of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, to the heart melting solo cello lines of the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, and finally the mountain-top experience of the Beethoven “Emperor” Concerto, truly one of the great achievements in western music.

Beethoven  Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43
Tchaikovsky  Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 
Mansur Kadirov, cello soloist
Mendelssohn  Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64
Igor Khukhua, violin soloist
Beethoven  Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73, “Emperor”

Kenny Broberg, piano soloist

Conducted by Maestro Bruce Sorrell and Steven McDonald, ICM Director of Orchestral Activities.

Musical Mystery on Broadway

06/24/18

5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Grand Street Café Event Space

Kansas City, MO

 

The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra hosts a charming evening of music, merriment and mystery – Musical Mystery on Broadway!  It will be great fun and a fabulous way to support the KCCO and our upcoming season and Classical Adventures Education Program.  We promise a festive evening of wonderful food, signature cocktails, a select silent auction, and a variety of entertaining performances including a classic Broadway surprise or two.

5:30 p.m. – Pre-show cocktails, silent auction and warm-up entertainment

6:30 p.m. – Dinner, music with the KCCO and Broadway Opening Night Mystery!

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2016 – 2017 Concert Details

Beethoven Triple!

08/27/16

8:00 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center 
Kansas City, MO

 

A spectacular opening concert featuring founding KCCO concertmaster Ben Sayevich, pianist Lolita Lisovskaya, and cellist Daniel Veis perfoming the Beethoven Triple Concerto in cooperation with the International Center for Music Park University.

 

Beethoven  Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano, Op. 56

Ben Sayevich, Daniel Veis, Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, soloists

Chopin  Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22

Tchaikovsky  Pezzo Capriccioso, Op. 62

Wieniawski  Polonaise Brillante No. 2 in A Major, Op. 21

Milestones – Music and Movement

10/27/16

7:30 p.m.

Polsky Theatre,  JCCC 
Overland Park, KS

 

An exciting collaboration with Owen/Cox Dance brings music to life in movement, while the KCCO inspires these talented dancers to new heights. “Milestones” features Chamber Orchestra favorites chosen specifically for their choreographic inspiration.  Experience these delightful works in a totally new and fresh way, along with the KCCO premiere of Shostakovich’s haunting and powerful String Quartet No. 8 arranged for orchestra.  Two great artistic companies, one fabulous performance!

Vivaldi  Concerto for 2 Cellos in G minor

Larry Figg, Allen Probus soloists

Britten  Simple Symphony

Shostakovich  String Quartet No. 8, arranged for String Orchestra

Bach  Brandenburg Concerto No. 3

A Very English Christmas

12/06/16

7:30 p.m.

Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral 
Kansas City, MO

 

Featuring Musica Vocale Choral Ensemble and soloist Daniel Belcher in beautiful and festive holiday music by candlelight!

Robert Bridges beautiful Christmas Eve poem is set to glorious music by Gerald Finzi, capturing the awe of wandering the English landscape on a “frosty Christmas Eve”. Coupled with two gorgeous works for strings by Vaughan Williams, and a lively suite by Henry Purcell, the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra will warm your heart for a season of good cheer.  

Finzi  In Terra Pax

with Musica Vocale Choral Ensemble and Daniel Belcher, baritone soloist

Vaughan Williams  Fantasia on Greensleeves

Vaughan Williams  Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Warlock  Capriol Suite

Purcell  Suite from Abdelazer

A Valentine from the Maestro

02/14/17

7:30 p.m.

Folly Theater 
Kansas City, MO

 

Maestro Sorrell’s Valentine to Kansas City is an elegant evening of romantic music for strings and soloists in the sumptuous surroundings of the Folly Theater. Revel in the gorgeous sounds of Tchaikovsky and for Valentines, and feast on settings of great romantic poetry by Kansas City’s own Jean Belmont Ford, featuring Sarah Tannehill Anderson, soprano.

Tchaikovsky  Serenade for Strings
Belmont Ford  Remembrance 
Sarah Anderson, soprano soloist
Finzi  Eclogue
Bruce Sorrell, piano soloist
Villa-Lobos  Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9

Spring Celebration!

04/21/17

8:00 p.m.

Old Mission Union Methodist Church 
Fairway, KS

 

A candlelight celebration of great soloists from the KCCO, featuring music by Mozart, Vivaldi, Handel, and Telemann, and a rare performance of Samuel Barber's baroque-style masterpiece, the Capricorn Concerto.

Mozart  Horn Concerto No. 3, K. 447
David Sullivan, soloist
Vivaldi  Concerto for 2 Violins and Cello in D Minor, Op. 3/11
Anne-Marie Brown, Tony DeMarco, Larry Figg, soloists
Handel  Water Music Suite No. 3 in G Major
Barber  Capricorn Concerto
Christina Webster, Margaret Marco, Julian Kaplan, soloists
Telemann  Overture des Nations anciens et modernes

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2015 – 2016 Concert Details

Mozart and Mendelssohn: Reaching for the Stars

09/04/15

8:00 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center

Kansas City, MO

 

Mozart’s great final Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter” and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 1 make a spectacular Labor Day weekend celebration!

 

Rossini  Overture to La scala di seta'

Mendelssohn  Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 11

Mozart  Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 “Jupiter”

Shakespeare as Muse

11/06/15

8:00 p.m.

Old Mission United Methodist Church 
Shawnee, KS

 

If music be the food of love … music inspired by the plays and poetry of the immortal Bard! The gorgeous language mimics music itself, and one of Kansas City’s finest actors, Robert Gibby Brand, brings to life the beauty and drama of the poetry in the spoken word, accompanied by music from three of England’s greatest composers.

 

A world premiere of a new work composed especially for soprano Sarah Anderson and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra by Jean Belmont Ford completes this concert. This work for voice without text heightens the emotion and drama of pure music.

 

Join us for a dramatic journey through great poetry, great music, coupled with a world premiere by a revered master composer who lives among us. If music be the food of love, play on!!

Walton  Two Pieces for String Orchestra – Henry V

Purcell  Music from “The Fairy Queen”

Belmont Ford  Vocalise (World Premiere)

Sarah Tannehill Anderson, soloist

Finzi  Music for ‘Love’s Labours Lost’

Gloria!

12/08/15

7:30 p.m.

Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral 
Kansas City,  MO

 

Music from the Baroque, thrillingly performed by soloists, choir, and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, will put you in the holiday spirit! Vivaldi’s Gloria is one of the most loved works for the holidays, paired with Corelli’s “Christmas” Concerto, with its famous pastoral ending and Bach’s incomparable Brandenburg Concerto No. 1.

Vivaldi  Gloria

Sarah Tannehill Anderson and Jay Carter, soloists

Trinity Choir of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, John Schaefer director

Bach  Brandenburg Concerto No. 1

Vivaldi  Flute Concerto in D Major “Il Gardellino” (The Goldfinch)

Christina Webster, soloist 

Corelli  Christmas Concerto

Valentine Serenades and Suites!

02/14/16

5:00 p.m.

Simpson House 
4509  Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO

 

Romantic music for all performed in original chamber orchestra style in a beautiful KC home – a marvelous Valentine’s Day celebration with food and drink!

 

Britten  Simple Symphony

Tchaikovsky  Andante Cantabile

Holst  St. Paul's Suite

Baroque Amore!

04/28/16

7:30 p.m.

Old Mission Union Methodist Church 
Fairway, KS

 

Handel’s famous “Water Music” contains some of the most familiar tunes ever penned by one of history’s greatest composers. Though less frequently performed, Haydn’s symphonies are an absolute delight to hear performed. Don’t miss this chance to hear one live! And the KCCO’s second world premiere this season, this time featuring oboist Margaret Marco in a thrilling new work by Forrest Pierce.

Rameau  Overture from Pygmalion

Handel  Water Music Suite No. 1 in D Major

Forrest Pierce  A Siege of Herons – Concerto for Oboe d’amore

Haydn  Symphony No. 60 in C Major ‘Il Distratto’

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2014 – 2015 Concert Details

Inspired Journeys: Heroes and Landscapes

08/23/14

8:00 p.m.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center

Kansas City, MO

 

Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony, inspired by the heroic ideal that Napoleon represented, is one of the greatest works ever composed.  Hearing it in the grand Helzberg Hall, but with the intimacy of a chamber orchestra, all the wonderful internal workings of Beethoven’s great mastery become evident to the ear.

 

The gorgeous Italian countryside served as muse for Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony, reflecting place and experience and radiating the joy he felt as he toured Italy. Sunny, dramatic, reverent – it is truly one of the most pleasurable symphonies to hear in the entire canon.

 

Mozart  Overture to the Marriage of Figaro
Beethoven  Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"

Mendelssohn  Symphony No. 4 “Italian”

The Muse

10/30/14

7:30 p.m.

Old Mission United Methodist Church 
Shawnee, KS

 

The first of two concerts exploring the muse in our own time!  Including gorgeous and virtuosic works for solo voice and oboe, the concert will also feature Copland’s inventive Appalacian Spring, a “fountain of musical images evoking pastoral America” and inspired by the dance work of Martha Graham. Gerald Finzi’s A Severn Rhapsody contributes a lush English sound with its luminous textures and folksong influences.

 

Forrest Pierce’s The Twelve Kisses is a thrilling setting of Hebrew and English texts from the Song of Solomon written for the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, and the solo will be performed by Sarah Tannehill Anderson, the soprano whose virtuosic, expressive singing inspired it!  The exquisite, beautiful voice of the oboe d’amore will be featured in J.S. Bach’s Concerto for Oboe d’Amore with soloist Margaret Marco. 

Finzi  A Severn Rhapsody

Forrest Pierce  The Twelve Kisses; Sarah Tannehill Anderson, soprano soloist

Bach  Concerto for Oboe d’Amore

Margaret Marco, soloist

Copland  Appalachian Spring

Bach for the Holidays

12/09/14

7:30 p.m.

Old Mission United Methodist Church, 
Shawnee Mission, KS

 

“...among the most human, most spiritual music ever composed.”​

Bach’s great orchestral works are full of great dance rhythms, thrilling virtuosity, and beautifully expressive moments. In the candlelit elegance of Old Mission Church, it’s the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit!

 

Bach was a practical man. Composer, teacher, performer, father, husband – there was no time to waste. His music is extraordinarily intellectual, but is without a doubt, among the most human, most spiritual music ever composed. The Brandenburg Concertos were inspired by the players Bach had at hand, obviously highly gifted performers in the court orchestra.

 

The 3rd and 4th Brandenburg Concertos and the 1st Suite represent a highly inspired and truly creative mind, melding the best that the baroque period had to offer – great dance rhythms that propel the action forward, highly expressive slow movements, virtuosic writing for strings, and highly effective use of flutes, oboes, and bassoon. Join us for this inspiring concert of favorites.


Bach  Suite No. 1
Bach  Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
Bach  Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
Bach  Sinfonia from Cantata 42

Mozart and Haydn

04/17/15

8:00 p.m.

Unity Temple on the Plaza 
Kansas City, MO

 

April on the Plaza -Gorgeous melodies!  A perfect spring evening!

 

The gorgeous melodies of Mozart and the elegance, drama, and wit of Haydn make for an unparalleled concert experience when performed by  The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. Mozart’s “Sinfonia Concertante” for solo violin and viola is one of his most sublimely beautiful works, a perennial favorite. Join us for a perfect spring evening!

“Bruce Sorrell was born to conduct Mozart.” 

~The Kansas City Star
 

Mozart  Symphony No. 33

Haydn  Symphony No. 83 “The Hen”
Mozart  Sinfonia Concertante
Anne-Marie Brown, violin soloist and Duke Lee, viola soloist

Vivaldi's Four Seasons!

06/12/15

8:00 p.m.

Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral 
Kansas City, MO

 

One of the most popular and fascinating pieces of music in the classical canon is Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”, a set of four concertos for solo violin. Part of the fascination is not just that he so accurately captures in sound the various moods of nature depicted, but that the moods change dramatically within movements. This is unusual in the Baroque era, where “unity of mood” tends to prevail throughout a movement. So, the depiction of temperate winds fighting strong north winds, leading to a storm (as if Vivaldi were a Midwesterner!), or the many different characterizations in winter, from chattering teeth to slipping on ice, are varied and wildly evocative. With minimal forces at his command (just solo violin, strings, and a harpsichord) he brings the colors to life, as in the haunting “Summer” depiction of flies lazily swarming in the heat as distant thunder peals threateningly. We invite you on this fabulous journey through the Four Seasons, as a first-timer, or as a veteran remembering the thrill of why this is a great masterpiece.

Vivaldi  Four Seasons 

Soloists: Cristian Fatu, David Radzynski, Maria Iodenitch, Laurel Gagnon

Dvorak  Nocturne

Dvorak  Two Waltzes (Op. 54)

Juan Baptista de Plaza  Fuga Romantica and Fuga criolla

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