Christy L'Esperance
Community Engagement Specialist & On-Air Host, Classical KCKansas City native Christy L’Esperance (pronounced “LESS-per-ahns") started listening to classical music on the Snoopy radio she got for her 4th birthday. Today, as Classical KC’s Community Engagement Specialist and On-Air Host, she enjoys classical music through much better speakers.
The years between were filled with the adventures of earning a degree in piano performance and pedagogy, working as a classical announcer for Iowa Public Radio and as a classical announcer/producer for Northern Public Radio in Illinois, teaching piano and music composition, performing frequently as an accompanist, and raising a ginormous family with her husband.
You can reach Christy at clesperance@ClassicalKC.org. She would love to hear about the ways you keep music in your life.
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Kansas City has long been associated with barbeque, fountains and jazz music — but accordions? Not so much. Still, Kansas City has a rich accordion history thanks to Joan Cochran Sommers, an icon who is still conducting, teaching and playing the accordion. -
With the world premiere of "The Haberdasher Prince," a one act opera by Rosabella and Dina Gregory, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City hopes to inspire and bring new audiences of all ages to the art form. Classical KC's Christy L'Esperance speaks with the Lyric's director of learning, Neal Long, about the story and production. -
As a gathering place for all classical music lovers in Kansas City, Classical KC presents as many upcoming concert seasons by local groups as we can get our hands on. -
Celebrating 25 years as one of Ireland's most acclaimed musical ambassadors, the Irish Tenors are set to perform in Kansas City on March 6. Christy L'Esperance speaks with all three about their early inspirations, Irish culture in America and what makes their performances unique. -
Christian Won is a talented pianist and composer from Grandview, MO. Christly L'Esperance speaks with Christian about his musical inspirations, finding balance between practice and teenage fun, his next steps and more. -
Overland Park teenager Kevin Li has diverse musical tastes including playing his clarinet, listening to hip-hop and making beats. Christy L'Esperance speaks with Kevin about how he got started in music and his transition to a more serious player. We'll also learn how he balances practice time and school work, and finding common ground between classical music and hip-hop. -
Violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins had a thriving solo and chamber career when Broadway came calling for her to be concertmaster and soloist in the 2015-16 revival of 'Fiddler on the Roof.' Classical KC speaks with Kelly about her time as the fiddler and her nonprofit, "Music Kitchen-Food for the Soul," which organizes classical music performances in homeless shelters around the world. -
With his eclectic repertoire and world travels, pianist Thomas Rosenkranz is charting a unique path as a performer and an educator. Christy L'Esperance talks with Thomas about his early days, his current work and what's next — including a two year journey into the music of Olivier Messiaen. -
After decades as music educator in the Lee's Summit School District, Russ Berlin co-founded the Lee's Summit Symphony as an outlet for his former students and other community members to continue musical pursuits. Now the Symphony celebrates 20 years of music making and age-less inspiration. -
Pianists Mikhail Voskresensky and Stanislav Ioudenitch join Classical KC's Christy L'Esperance for an extended conversation about Mikhail's life and music ahead of his performance in Kansas City. Mikhail shares the story of his harrowing escape during a Nazi attack when he was six years old, and how that experience helped motivate his choice to leave Russia in protest of their 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
