Author: Libby Hanssen
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Concert to Come: Victoria Botero presents ‘The Music of Susan Kander’
“The Music of Susan Kander” celebrates the work of the Kansas City native, including the world premiere of “Eavesdropping,” based on poetry by Michelle Boisseau, and the Kansas City premiere of “*dwb* (driving while black),” featuring soprano Roberta Gumbel.
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Honors: Maria Ioudenitch
Violinist Maria Ioudenitch first played with the Kansas City Symphony when she was just 16 years old, as winner of the 2012 Young Artist Competition. To this day, she remembers it as one of her fondest musical moments, performing Aram Khachaturian’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.
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Artist to Watch: Kelly Birch
Kelly Birch, mezzo-soprano, is one of the 2018-2019 Lyric Opera of Kansas City Resident Artists. She recently performed as Kate Pinkerton in the Lyric’s production of “Madama Butterfly” and multiple roles in the Explorations Series’ “High Fidelity Opera.” In February, she’ll appear in the Exploration Series’ “Mack the Knife is the Man I Love.”
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Good Tidings of Great Joy
Q: What do you call 158 trombonists playing holiday tunes? A: A blast! Now, it’s not often that I get to toot my own horn, but last November, when I learned about the inaugural Trombone Christmas Kansas City concert at Union Station, I roused my instrument out of hibernation and signed up before you could finish saying fa-la-la-la la la-la la la.