Christine Grossman, principal violist for the Kansas City Symphony, was reluctant. As a teenager, she wasn’t sure she wanted to switch from violin to viola. As a born and bred New Yorker, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be principal in an orchestra in the middle of America. She’s changed her mind: “What I love about the Kansas City arts scene is an openness and a welcoming spirit among the musicians and artists."

The winter solstice is a time of mystery and a moment of hope in the darkened chill of December. The Wires, an alternative string duo,..

Kansas City’s professional new music ensemble celebrates its 25th season with a “Happy Birthday, newEar!” concert Dec. 2 at Central United Methodist Church. Over the past few years, newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble has undergone a period of transition and restructuring, preparing to grow into the sort of arts organization that will present another 25 years of new music to the region.

The Mid America Freedom Band has planned an adventurous 15th season. Themed “Pioneers and Frontiers,” the upcoming concerts will celebrate historic revolutionaries, musical mavericks and civil rights pioneers, as well as new frontiers in sound and space, with the American expansion of the West and the exploration of the universe. MAFB is Kansas City’s only LGBTQIA + ally community band.

The Park University student won a silver medal in the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Kenny Broberg, a graduate student at Park University’s International..