How an Indiana professor plans to lead KC's symphony chorus
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Just imagine the sound. Photo: Courtesy of the Kansas City Symphony
Kansas City's largest choir has a new director for the first time in nearly two decades — and she lives in Indiana.
Why it matters: The Grammy-winning KC Symphony Chorus is charting a new path after last season's sudden departure of its longtime director, Charles Bruffy.
Driving the news: The Kansas City Symphony this month announced its new director will be Betsy Burleigh, a longtime professor at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and previous director of the Pittsburgh Symphony's chorus partner.
- The announcement came two months before the chorus' first performance this season singing Holst's "The Planets."
How it works: The Symphony Chorus is among the largest volunteer orchestral choirs in the nation, with 195 total members. Up to about 160 perform at a time in Helzberg Hall's choir loft.
- The director is in charge of organizing and preparing the group to sound their best.
- Burleigh will lean on assistant director Patrice Sollenberger for some rehearsals, and travel here for every concert week and during the majority of December, the chorus' busy season.
Flashback: Burleigh worked with the chorus last year, when she was invited to prepare the group for Rachmaninoff's "Spring" and Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
What they're saying: "I loved the chorus. I was so impressed with the symphony and the, of course, the hall," Burleigh tells Axios. "It almost felt like it was meant to be."
- She praised the venue, saying the hall has top-notch acoustics and the choir loft has enough clearance between rows so choir members aren't singing into the backs of heads.
- "I'm geekish about things like this."
Behind the scenes: Chorus president Keith Florea says the chorus has a strong culture that will help it adapt to a new director, and Burleigh says change will be slow as she gets to know the organization.
- Florea declined to comment on the nature of Bruffy's departure.
What's next: The chorus is gearing up for Brahms' master work, "A German Requiem," in November, plus movie concerts including "The Polar Express."
- And midseason auditions are in January: "If you are experienced in singing choral music and know how to blend with the chorus and sing well, then you have an opportunity to sing with the chorus," Florea says.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show the Symphony Chorus will be singing "The Planets" in October (not September).