Classical KC on KCUR

When owner Lamar Hunt moved the Dallas Texans to Kansas City in 1963 and changed the name to the Chiefs, he was urged by then-Mayor Roe Bartle to feature a live band at home games. The tradition lasted more than four decades.

Before the Chiefs face the Eagles at the Super Bowl, hands will be placed over hearts as Jon Batiste sings the national anthem. Learn more about the history of this musical tradition from some Kansas City musicians who have taken to the field to perform themselves.

As Super Bowl fever ramps up, ballet companies from Kansas City and Philadelphia are preparing to battle it out online.

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.

Despite her success in the 1930s, Dana Suesse’s music remains underappreciated. From piano concertos infused with jazz to popular film music, Suesse was a woman of great musical prowess.

Kansas City bagpiper extraordinaire Griffin Hall has been nerding out on Scotland’s national instrument since he was 12. This month, he’ll have a chance to play and compete with a world-class pipe and drum band there.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City'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.

Cellist Carter Medina, a Blue Springs South High School student, speaks with Classical KC about his earliest musical inspirations and how playing the cello offers comfort from stressful high school days. Carter's mother Jennifer shares the ways she encouraged Carter's growth, and her heartfelt emotions about Carter's next steps.