THE KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY

The Kansas City Symphony was founded by R. Crosby Kemper, Jr., in 1982, months after the dissolution of the Kansas City Philharmonic. The founding trustees of the Symphony created a sound structure for the board and established the initial endowment. Today, the Symphony is a major force in the cultural life of Kansas City and the region, reaching more than one million people annually through live concerts, free public performances, educational programs, radio and television broadcasts.

Under the dynamic leadership of music director Michael Stern, now in his fifth season, the Kansas City Symphony has experienced impressive artistic growth and praise for innovative programming. Steven Jarvi, Bruno Walter associate conductor, conducts the Family Series, Symphony Pops and holiday concerts. During its forty-two week season, the Kansas City Symphony’s 80-member orchestra performs a wide variety of subscription, educational, touring, and outreach concerts throughout Kansas and Missouri. In addition, Symphony musicians perform for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Kansas City Ballet.

The Kansas City Symphony has taped two nationally broadcast PBS television specials, performed on National Public Radio, and released four compact disc recordings, the latest being critically acclaimed projects with Reference Recordings. Highlights of the Kansas City Symphony’s classical performances are broadcast weekly, Thursdays at 9 p.m., on KCUR 89.3 FM, Kansas City’s National Public Radio affiliate.

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Michael Stern

Michael Stern is in his fifth season as music director of the Kansas City Symphony, hailed for its remarkable artistic growth and development since his tenure began. The Symphony and Stern concluded their first year together by making a recording for the Naxos label which was released in 2007. The Tempest, with music by Sullivan and Sibelius inspired by Shakespeare’s play, was released to critical acclaim in July 2008 on the Grammy Award®-winning label, Reference Recordings.

This year also marks Stern’s second season as principal guest conductor of Orchestre National de Lille, France. As well, Stern is founding artistic director and principal conductor of the IRIS Orchestra in Germantown, Tennessee. Other positions include a tenure as the chief conductor of Germany’s Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra (the first American chief conductor in the orchestra’s history) and as permanent guest conductor of the Orchestre National de Lyon in France, a position which he held for five years.

Stern has led orchestras throughout Europe and Asia, including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Beethovenhalle Orchestra in Bonn, Budapest Radio Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Moscow Philharmonic, National Symphony of Taiwan, Tokyo’s NHK Symphony and the Vienna Radio Symphony’s tour of China.

In North America, Stern has conducted the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Houston Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. He also appears regularly at the Aspen Music Festival and has served on the faculty of the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen.

Stern received his music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where his major teacher was the noted conductor and scholar Max Rudolf. Stern coedited the third edition of Rudolf’s famous textbook, The Grammar of Conducting, and also edited a new volume of Rudolf’s collected writings and
correspondence. Stern is a 1981 graduate of Harvard University, where he earned
a degree in American history.

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