Sam Wisman
Senior Producer - 91.9 Classical KC / Backup Announcer - KCUR 89.3Sam started listening to jazz on his local NPR affiliate when he was just 13 years old, and his life as a musician and radio guy continues to intertwine. Son of a merchant and a classical musician, he came to Kansas City to attend the UMKC Conservatory. During school, he shelved a lot of records and played “drop the needle” at The Marr Sound Archives, working with KCUR’s own Fish Fry host Chuck Haddix. After graduating Cum Laude with a degree in Percussion Performance, Sam became a versatile fixture in Kansas City’s music scene. He hosted Jazz Afternoon on 90.1 FM KKFI for over 10 years, and currently hosts Jazz Across America - Kansas City on San Diego's KSDS Jazz 88.3. Sam lives with his family in Roeland Park, and has yet to measure the volume of his kids with a decibel meter — but he has thought about it.
Email him at samwisman@classicalkc.org.
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When owner Lamar Hunt moved the Dallas Texans to Kansas City in 1963 and changed the name to the Chiefs, he was urged by then-Mayor Roe Bartle to feature a live band at Arrowhead Stadium. The tradition lasted more than four decades. -
A scheduling snafu for organist Jan Kraybill started an unique tradition — a Super Bowl Sunday organ concert — that's lasted 25 years. -
Nora Holt was the first Black person in the United States to earn a master’s degree in music. A prolific composer and a club-hopping socialite, she once wrote a 42-page work for a 100-piece orchestra. But you’ve probably never heard any of it. Scholars have dreamt of finding her stolen manuscripts for nearly a century. -
Nora Holt was the first Black person in the United States to earn a master’s degree in music. A prolific composer of more than 200 musical pieces and a club-hopping socialite, she once wrote a 42-page work for a 100-piece orchestra. But you’ve probably never heard any of it. Scholars have dreamt of finding her stolen manuscripts for nearly a century, according to Classical KC’s Sam Wisman. -
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. -
After 19 seasons, Michael Stern is stepping down as music director of the Kansas City Symphony, with Matthias Pintscher taking over at the start of the next season. Classical KC spoke with the outgoing maestro and his longtime friend Yo-Yo Ma about Stern's time at the helm and what’s ahead for the orchestra. -
The Lyric's Opera To Go program brings live performances to retirement communities across the Kansas City metro. For the residents of these communities, in-person concerts are an experience that can't be replicated by recordings. -
'The community supports me': Award-winning pianist Kenny Broberg reflects on his time in Kansas CitySince his time at Park University's International Center for Music in his adopted home of Kansas City, Kenny Broberg's career has been thriving. Classical KC's Brooke Knoll catches up with Kenny and they discuss his upcoming performances and new albums. -
From Paraguay to Kansas City and Great Bend, KS, this musician is working to uplift local guitaristsAleia Gonzalez came to Kansas City to study guitar at the UMKC Conservatory but shortly after graduation, the classical guitar program was dissolved. While holding teaching positions in Great Bend, KS, she is active with the Kansas City Guitar Society and performs in Kansas City. Celebrate guitar month by listening to performances from Aleia and another local guitarist, Beau Bledsoe, with music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brad Cox and more. -
Celebrate the birthday of Sergei Prokofiev by listening to the Kansas City Symphony perform three of his works: the invigorating suite from "Love of Three Oranges," his third piano concerto and an epic cantata comprised of music from his score to the Sergei Eisenstein film "Alexander Nevsky." We'll also hear Beethoven's portentous tone poem "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage."
