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The Job: Joseph Brandwein
By his own estimation, Joseph Brandwein has tuned pianos for virtually every major concert pianist who’s performed in Kansas City over the last 40 years. But he refuses to name-drop. “I’m strictly low-key,” Brandwein says. “I don’t need the praise. I don’t need more business. I just do what I do.”
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“Separate And Not Equal”
If you needed a compelling reason to justify public funding for the arts, look no further than KU’s Spencer Museum of Art this summer. Thanks to a six-figure grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Spencer Museum will offer two in-depth K-12 teacher workshops this summer on the subject of “Native American and African-American Educational Experiences in Kansas, 1830 – 1960.”
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Ministering to Musicians
Sore muscles, instrument wear and tear, tax challenges and stress. Musicians deal with all of them on a regular basis. Fortunately, there is a world of professionals — from luthiers and massage therapists to chiropractors and vocal coaches — to minister to musicians’ needs, and these experts and craftsmen are every bit as remarkable as those we see on stage.
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An Ambassador of Dance: Mary Pat Henry and the Tianjin Conservatory of Music
When China’s prestigious Tianjin Conservatory of Music decided to launch a modern dance program for Chinese students, the school asked two professors with dual tenures at the UMKC Conservatory and the Tianjin Conservatory to recommend an outstanding choreographer and instructor to lead it.