© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Michael Stern says goodbye to the Kansas City Symphony

After 19 seasons, outgoing Kansas City Symphony music director Michael Stern conducted his final concert over the weekend. Plus: One local opera company is bringing the show to residents of local retirement communities.

Michael Stern has stepped down as music director of the Kansas City Symphony after 19 seasons, with Matthias Pintscher taking over at the start of the 2024-25 season. Dan Margolies and Classical KC spoke with the outgoing maestro about the people and places in Kansas City that will remain important to him.

Getting all dressed up and going to the opera is a privilege that many get to enjoy — but not everyone. For KCUR sister station Classical KC, Laura Fotovich reports on the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, a company that lets local retirement community residents enjoy the show at home.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.