Category: Performing
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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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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.
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Meet “The Classical Challenge”
Every Wednesday evening, radiating 80 miles from 39th and Main Streets, eclectic, rambunctious music permeates the Kansas City airwaves when “The Classical Challenge” broadcasts on KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City Community Radio. “The Classical Challenge,” the only classical music show on KKFI, is unlike any classical music radio show in the region. “We try to play things that are either experimental or challenging...” said Mike Pettengel, host and founder of the show.
