Christy L'Esperance
Community Engagement Specialist & On-Air Host, Classical KCKansas City native Christy L’Esperance (pronounced “LESS-per-ahns") started listening to classical music on the Snoopy radio she got for her 4th birthday. Today, as Classical KC’s Community Engagement Specialist and On-Air Host, she enjoys classical music through much better speakers.
The years between were filled with the adventures of earning a degree in piano performance and pedagogy, working as a classical announcer for Iowa Public Radio and as a classical announcer/producer for Northern Public Radio in Illinois, teaching piano and music composition, performing frequently as an accompanist, and raising a ginormous family with her husband.
You can reach Christy at clesperance@ClassicalKC.org. She would love to hear about the ways you keep music in your life.
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No matter the medium, violinist Itzhak Perlman has a way of connecting with audiences of all ages. As he visits Kansas City for a performance with his "Fiddler's House" project, Perlman spoke with Classical KC's Christy L'Esperance.
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Soprano Renée Fleming will portray American painter Georgia O'Keeffe in the Lyric Opera of Kansas City's production of "The Brightness of Light." Baritone Rod Gilfry stars alongside Fleming as O'Keeffe's husband, the photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Christy L'Esperance speaks with Gilfry about his friendship with Fleming and bringing the O'Keeffe-Stieglitz relationship to life on stage.
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Music and the arts have helped international piano star Khatia Buniatishvili remain hopeful. Classical KC's Christy L'Esperance speaks with Buniatishvili about growing up in her home country of Georgia, connecting with audiences and performing in Kansas City.
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The Topeka Symphony Orchestra has been making classical music fun and accessible in northeast Kansas since its founding in 1945. Classical KC's Christy L'Esperance speaks with music director Kyle Wiley Pickett, just the fourth music director in the orchestra's history, about the group's ethos and upcoming performance season.
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There are fewer performance opportunities for dancers and dance lovers during the summer months, but Moving Arts hopes to give the scene a lift. Christy L'Esperance speaks with Co-Founder/Artistic Director Logan Pachciarz and choreographer Heather Nichols about the group’s mission as well creating movement to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Giovanni Pergolesi.
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Kansas City has a rich accordion history thanks in large part to Joan Cochran Sommers. She's an iconic figure in the accordion world who, at 90 years old, is still conducting, teaching and yes, playing her accordion. Classical KC’s Christy L’Esperance spoke with Joan about creating an accordion program at the UMKC Conservatory and taking her group of Kansas City accordionists on multiple USO and world tours.
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Classical KC's Christy L'Esperance speaks with Dr. Rebecca Lepping about her work at the KU Medical Center, local collaborations in the field of neuroaesthetics and her life as a pianist.
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Violin superstar Joshua Bell spoke with Classical KC's Christy L'Esperance about inspiring the next generation of musicians, working with Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony and a friendly competition he has going with fellow prodigy and musical superstar Yo-Yo Ma.