Lee’s Summit Symphony’s ‘epic orchestral power music’ will honor educators at concert
Lee’s Summit Symphony’s spring concert will feature a powerful and emotional program with the performance scheduled for 7 p.m. March 16 at the John Knox Village Pavilion. The theme for the concert is “Feel the Power: Monumental Music” with the event also recognizing music educators as part of Music in Our Schools Month.
Kirt Mosier, the Symphony’s music director, said the concert will be a crowd-pleaser.
“It is epic orchestral power music,” he said. “I have sprinkled in a few softer beautiful pieces to clear the listener’s ears between all of the big pieces.”
Gary Good, Lee’s Summit Symphony’s executive director, said, “The repertoire calls for additional brass and includes some of the best known big finales in classical music. The ‘1812 Overture,’ the ‘Fanfare for the Common Man,’ the ‘Pines of Rome’ and, of course, film music of John Williams.”
The March concert will feature two vocal soloists: local music teachers Lauren Braton and Andrea Hupman.
Both Good and Mosier emphasized the importance of the Symphony’s connection to local educators and music education.
“The LSSO (Lee’s Summit Symphony Orchestra, which some use in referring to the group) would not exist if it were not for our educators and former students,” said Mosier, who taught music in the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District from 1995 through 2017.
Thirty-eight musicians in the Lee’s Summit Symphony now teach in the public schools or universities throughout the area, Good said, including many from Lee’s Summit.
“Music education (and educators) are a central part of the LSSO’s DNA,” Good added. “The LSSO was actually founded by Russ Berlin, who was the main instrumental music teacher in the Lee’s Summit Schools for more than 25 years. We have invited all music teachers from the local public and private schools to be our guests for the March 16 concert, and we will acknowledge them during the course of the program.”
In its 20th year, the Lee’s Summit Symphony continues to be an important part of the local cultural arts scene.
An orchestra offers a number of advantages to a community, Good said, including serving as a creative outlet for local musicians and providing accessible performances for residents.
“Increasingly, the LSSO is becoming a regional attraction,” he added. “For example, we will have a group from Whiteman Air Force Base visiting for our June concert. That’s hotel rooms, restaurants, etc. who will receive a boost from the audience at that concert.”
The March 16 concert will be the second Lee’s Summit Symphony performance to feature the orchestra’s new Concert Preview, an interactive introduction to each concert. Each preview includes information about the concert program, photos and links to historic recordings of featured pieces.
The Concert Preview is among several partnership programs with the Kansas City Symphony, Good said. Editor of the previews is AJ Harbison, a local composer and a member of the Kansas City Symphony management team.
“For the March Concert Preview, our editor will provide links to some of the many versions of ‘The Great Gate of Kiev.’ Written originally as a piano solo piece, the piece was arranged for full orchestra by Ravel and later featured in a rock album by Emerson, Lake and Palmer,” Good said.
“A Japanese composer, Tomita, re-wrote the ‘Gate’ for electronic synthesizer, and there is possibly a drumline video that was performed by the Lee’s Summit High School Marching Band several years ago.”
Designed to help the audience make even more connections to the music, the Concert Preview will be available on the Symphony’s website several days before the performance.
“As a new publication for the LSSO, to date we’ve shared the Concert Preview widely as both a market piece and an educational piece,” Good added.
Tickets for the Symphony’s March concert are available here. Tickets are $21 for adults and $11 for students. Children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade are admitted free with the purchase of an adult ticket.
