Arts & Culture

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.

Want to learn more about Native American events happening across Kansas and the Kansas City region? Here's a guide to understanding, appreciating and visiting local powwows, assembled with input from the Kansas City Indian Center.

The Boulevardia Music Festival is back this weekend outside of Crown Center, featuring a blend of prominent touring artists and local musicians with Kansas City's skyline as its backdrop.

Kansas City is home to talented musicians of all ilk. Here are some of our favorite local bands who entered NPR's 2024 Tiny Desk Contest.

Two Kansas City musicians reflect on the significance of the 18th and Vine District, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend with the induction of Roberta Flack, Patti Austin and Bob James, plus live performances by Austin and Jose Feliciano.

The festival's second year kicked off this week at the Screenland Armour theater in North Kansas City. This year’s mission is to celebrate Black filmmakers from Missouri whose work explores contemporary and historical social issues.

Megan Karson is heading out on the open road this summer. She’ll spend the next three months making dreamy tintype images of the people she meets at pop up events in Montana and the Pacific Northwest.

Now open in the old Crispus Attucks School, the Zhou B Art Center brings free exhibitions to the public, beginning with a show that combines local and international artists.

Earlier this month, vandals defaced the William Volker Memorial Fountain by removing the leg of a large, male figure and the arm of a faun — a half-human, half-goat creature from Greek and Roman mythology.

The Kansas City Current used their new riverfront stadium to encourage fans to take transit, bike or walk to games instead of driving. The city’s infrastructure still hasn’t caught up, though. Plus: The Lawrence Busker Festival features magicians, jugglers, clowns and contortionists, but this year local musicians are taking the spotlight.

Biographer Larry Tye's new book "The Jazzmen" highlights the lives of three of the most influential jazz musicians in history — and their collective impact on American culture.

For the past three years, a bar in Kansas City’s Crossroads has attracted pool sharks and eager amateurs alike. Meet the cast of regulars at Chartreuse Saloon. Plus: A world-renowned ceramic artist educated in Kansas City has returned to teach the next generation.