UMKC Conservatory

UMKC Conservatory The UMKC Conservatory is internationally recognized as a center for artistic excellence and innovation. Our buildings on campus are:

James C.

Olson Performing Arts Center (4949 Cherry Street)

Grant Hall (5227 Holmes Street)

Get your tickets to the Conservatory Wind Symphony's first concert of the fall semester! Sep. 24th at 7:30pm in White Re...
09/09/2026

Get your tickets to the Conservatory Wind Symphony's first concert of the fall semester! Sep. 24th at 7:30pm in White Recital Hall.

The Conservatory Wind Symphony opens their season with a celebration of contemporary composers and the stories they have to tell. Welcoming guest conductor, Jerry Junkin, and featuring works by Gao Hong, Schwantner, Hindemith, and Arturo Márquez’s most recent work for wind band, Sínfonia Nómada.

🎟$10 general public
🎟$5 senior citizens
🎟FREE for kids and all UMKC students/faculty/staff

https://umkcconservatory.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1646

Catch two Conservatory faculty performances this week!On Wednesday, Professor Terri Sánchez presents a recital with pian...
09/07/2026

Catch two Conservatory faculty performances this week!

On Wednesday, Professor Terri Sánchez presents a recital with pianist Dan Velicer, featuring works by James Mobberley, Eugène Bozza, Takatsugu Muramatsu, and Sergey Prokofiev.

Then on Thursday, Professor Jarrett McCourt brings together several musical collaborators, including UMKC oboe professor Celeste Johnson, Kansas City Symphony principal horn Roy Femenella, and pianist Jiwon Choi. Repertoire by Arild Plau, Margi Griebling-Haigh, Eugène Bozza, Joe Hisaishi, and Trygve Madsen will lead to the world premiere of KINGPIN: Concerto for Tuba by Canadian composer Vincent Ho. Ho will be in residence at UMKC for the premiere and will introduce the new work during the performance. He will also work with composition students and students from the Conservatory Wind Ensemble during his visit. The concerto is dedicated to the memory of tubist Tom McCaslin.

09/09/26 and 09/10/26 at 7:30pm
Grant Recital Hall
🎟Both events are FREE and open to the public🎟


mccourt

We are pleased to welcome Ryan Main to the UMKC Conservatory! Ryan will be joining us this semester teaching Choral Arra...
09/06/2026

We are pleased to welcome Ryan Main to the UMKC Conservatory! Ryan will be joining us this semester teaching Choral Arranging.

Ryan is an award-winning composer, director, and clinician whose music for choirs and bands is performed at all levels worldwide. Born in the Kansas City, Missouri area, Ryan began his post-secondary music education at the UMKC Conservatory, earning a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition. He continued his studies at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, completing dual Master of Music degrees in Music Composition and Music Education.

His works have received numerous accolades, including multiple Editor's Choice distinctions from J.W. Pepper and 5-star feature distinctions from Stanton's. Passionate about ensuring access to quality music education for all, Ryan founded the Youth Chorus of Kansas City, a non-profit organization serving youth from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds throughout the Kansas City metro area. He also founded Endeavor Music Publishing, a fair-pay publishing company that ensures composers receive the majority of proceeds from each sale. Ryan is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Missouri Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Congratulations and welcome back to the UMKC Conservatory, Ryan!

Get your tickets to "Sounding a Nation"! September 18th at 7:30pmDr. Christopher Kelts and the Conservatory Symphony Orc...
09/05/2026

Get your tickets to "Sounding a Nation"! September 18th at 7:30pm

Dr. Christopher Kelts and the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra kick off the Dean’s Signature Series and our fall large ensemble concerts with a celebration of Pulitzer-Prize winning works, in collaboration with the Society for American Music.

🎟$10 general public, $5 senior citizens
🎟https://umkcconservatory.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1643

This concert includes guest speakers from the Conservatory musicology department, professors Andrew Granade and Matthew Anderson, and highlights American Music in correlation with the 250th Anniversary of the United States and the 110th Anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize.

Calling all future Roos! Want to learn more about pursuing a degree in the performing arts at the UMKC Conservatory? We ...
09/04/2026

Calling all future Roos! Want to learn more about pursuing a degree in the performing arts at the UMKC Conservatory? We have two opportunities just for you!

This fall, we are hosting a multitude of Roo + Conservatory visits so you can learn more about our degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. These visits include a general admissions presentation and a tour of campus, followed by a Conservatory Admissions-specific session and observation of an ensemble rehearsal of your choice. Register today at umkc.edu/admissions/visit

Interested in seeing a performance at the Conservatory? Join UMKC Conservatory Admissions for "A Night at the Conservatory"! Prospective students who register will receive up to 3 free tickets to one of several possible shows, in addition to some exclusive swag! Email our team at [email protected] to receive your registration link.

Space is limited, so we encourage you to sign up for these opportunities right away if you’re interested.

You're invited! The UMKC Conservatory is breaking ground on a major expansion of the James C. Olson Performing Arts Cent...
09/02/2026

You're invited! The UMKC Conservatory is breaking ground on a major expansion of the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, our home at UMKC, which serves as inspiration for our 2026-27 season, A Place We Call HOME.

Join us Wednesday, Sept. 23rd as we celebrate the start of this transformational project that will enhance performing arts education in Kansas City for generations to come. We look forward to bringing our community together to mark this exciting milestone and the beginning of a new chapter for Conservatory students, faculty, and our beloved community!

Parking is available in the Cherry St. garage on the 5th and 6th level. This is a FREE and PUBLIC event; come one and all! Please RSVP by Friday, Sept. 18 by emailing Marilyn Turbush at [email protected] with your name and the number of guests you intend to bring.

We invite you to gather outside the main entrance of the PAC at 4:30pm, with the ceremony beginning at 5:00pm. We will move indoors for a reception afterwards in the PAC Lobby.

You don't want to miss this historic moment!

Dr. Felicia Londré presents her annual lecture on the Shakespeare authorship question, presented from 10:00 - 11:15 a.m....
09/02/2026

Dr. Felicia Londré presents her annual lecture on the Shakespeare authorship question, presented from 10:00 - 11:15 a.m., Thursday October 29th, Grant Recital Hall.

This 65-minute PowerPoint presentation surveys the evidence relating to the authorship of the plays and sonnets of the author who used the pen-name William Shake-speare. Whodunnit??? Was it William Shaksper of Stratford-upon-Avon or was it Edward De Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford?

Felicia Londré has presented this lecture to open-minded intellectuals (and others) in the capitals of Europe and Asia as well as in Chicago and Kalamazoo. YOU are now invited to attend--admission FREE--the same lecture that has often elicited big bucks, not to mention the tears and laughter of freshly tapped hearts and minds!

There will be handouts and time for questions afterward. This is your chance to get the basic information that will allow you to weigh the evidence and form your own opinion!

We are so thrilled to be launching our inaugural KCMOves Festival here in Kansas City hosted by . There is still time to...
09/01/2026

We are so thrilled to be launching our inaugural KCMOves Festival here in Kansas City hosted by . There is still time to register to partake in all the classes and events we have to offer BUT we are also offering FREE events in our festival open to the public! Take a look through everything we have going on, there is something offered free everyday. Tell a friend, bring a friend, gather with your community. Join in the art, a dance festival that supports the growth of ALL artists.

FREE PERFORMANCE — September 4th 7:30PMTo kickoff our inaugural KCMOves Festival, we are thrilled to host a free perform...
08/31/2026

FREE PERFORMANCE — September 4th 7:30PM
To kickoff our inaugural KCMOves Festival, we are thrilled to host a free performance featuring the works of 4 choreographers — , , .mikako, and . Bring a friend, tell a friend, experience community and we will see you there!

James C. Olson Performing Arts Center - UMKC
4949 Cherry Street
KCMO

Photo of ’s Fragrant of (2018) Photo by Mike Strong

Our first guest artist visit of the year brings one of the world’s finest tuba players and teachers to the UMKC Conserva...
08/31/2026

Our first guest artist visit of the year brings one of the world’s finest tuba players and teachers to the UMKC Conservatory: Andy Smith , principal tuba of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Orchestra, and a faculty member at DePaul University.

Masterclass – Monday, August 31st at 4:30pm, Grant Recital Hall
Recital – Tuesday, September 1st at 7:30pm, Grant Recital Hall

🎟*Both events are FREE and open to the public*🎟

Address

4949 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO
64110

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 11pm
Tuesday 8am - 11pm
Wednesday 8am - 11pm
Thursday 8am - 11pm
Friday 8am - 11pm
Saturday 8am - 11pm
Sunday 12pm - 11pm

Telephone

+18162352900

Website

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