live music

There's plenty of song and celebration this season with holiday concerts and shows around Kansas City.

After 20 years, veteran jazz performer Tim Whitmer is out with a new album. Recorded live at the Black Dolphin, the two-disc record captures the sound and energy of Kansas City jazz.

Nearly 100 players from the region, spanning grades 6-12, are participating in the new Ad Astra Chamber Orchestra of Kansas City. “I try to get away from stuffy concerts,” says the group co-founder Russ Pieken.

A 15,000-seat amphitheater, to be owned by Live Nation Entertainment, is planned for an industrial park near a soccer training complex and a casino. But can Kansas City's live music scene support another outdoor venue?

With five Grammy nominations under her belt, the Great Bend, Kansas, native returns to the Folly Theater on Saturday, Sept. 21, to perform her latest album, "A Kiss for Brazil," which showcases her continued love for the country's rich music.

The Kansas City-based band released their debut EP, "saturn return," this year. Led by Makayla Scott, the group says they want to make music that feels honest and authentic.

Kansas City has long been associated with barbeque, fountains and jazz music — but accordions? Meet the 90-year-old woman who is keeping the city's rich legacy alive. Plus: Kansas City journalist Ebony Reed takes an "immersive" dive into the nation's racial wealth gap in her new book.

Thousands of people took over the small town of Sedalia, Missouri, on this day in 1974 for the Ozark Music Festival, a party full of nudity, drugs and rock 'n' roll music. Half a century later, people still talk about the lore from that hot wild weekend. Plus: One very fluffy prison resident is changing the men around him in a Missouri correction facility.

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.

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.

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 Greeting Committee was formed by four Overland Park high schoolers in 2014 and has since become one of Kansas City’s most well-known and beloved indie bands. Their third studio album is coming out in June.