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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.
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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.
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This festival brings together local, national and international musicians for an afternoon in the Historic Northeast. It's also a graduation for young artists in the Art As Mentorship program, which is creating space for underrepresented musicians.
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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.
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Thousands of people took over the small town of Sedalia, Missouri, in 1974 for the Ozark Music Festival, a party full of nudity, drugs and rock 'n roll music. People still talk about the lore from that hot wild weekend. Depending on what side of the festival fence you were on, it was three days of heaven — or three days of hell.
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Got an old instrument collecting dust in your basement? One Kansas City fundraiser enlists regional artists to turn them into reclaimed works of art.
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Got an old instrument collecting dust in your basement? One Kansas City fundraiser enlists regional artists to turn them into reclaimed works of art. Plus: Business owners in rural areas are struggling to find younger buyers.
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Irv Da PHENOM!’s song “Red and Yellow” has been a Kansas City anthem since its release in 2010. Now, the song has been given a second life after being picked up by Marvel for the soundtrack of “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
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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.
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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.
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The Bach Aria Soloists, now in their 25th season, celebrate the music of the 17th and 18th centuries through concerts and collaborations across genres.
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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.