Atonement Lutheran Church
9948 Metcalf

• Bring your family and friends to hear some of the season’s most wonderful music.  You’ll hear something traditional, something meaningful and something fun!  This is a concert event the whole family will enjoy.  Come ready to hear the Kansas City Civic Orchestra with the Atonement Lutheran Chorus (Rick Deasley, music director) perform your favorite SOUNDS OF THE SEASON!

KCCO and Atonement Lutheran Church will host a food drive to benefit Harvesters. We invite you to bring a non-perishable food item and help stamp out hunger in Kansas City this holiday season.

Cost: FREE, no tickets required.

Encore concert at John Knox Village

The Pavilion at John Knox Village
520 NW Murray Road

• Bring your family and friends to hear some of the season’s most wonderful music.  You’ll hear something traditional, something meaningful and something fun!  This is a concert event the whole family will enjoy.  Concerts are always FREE, so come ready to hear the Kansas City Civic Orchestra perform your favorite SOUNDS OF THE SEASON!

Cost: FREE, no tickets required.

Financial assistance for this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

• Chris Kelts, Music Director
• Sharla Salazar Dean, Violin (Chairman)
• Meredith Cantrell, Violin (Vice Chairman)
• Kimberly Barlow, Violin
• Charlotte Ann Brown
• Carol Chatelain, Violin
• Richard Chatelain, Tuba
• Louisa Raich Grill
• Carl R James
• Corie Moody
• Harry E. (Jerry) Old, Jr., French Horn
• Nancy Raich, Violin
• Bruce Williams, Violin

Honorary Board

• Ruth R. Blake
• Bryan Busby, Tympani
• Evalyn Clough
• Hugh Mathewson
• Karl Zobrist

Now in his third year as music director/conductor with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, Christopher Kelts is preparing to embark on the orchestra’s 52nd season.

Through his programming, Mr. Kelts has expanded the audience base for the KC Civic Orchestra. He has also expanded the concert season to feature extra “classical” series concerts, an “Encore” holiday concert and educational outreach. The Civic Orchestra, under the baton of Christopher Kelts, invites soloists from all over the United States: from local talent such as guitarist Doug Neidt to internationally acclaimed violinist Mark O’Connor.

In addition to the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, Mr. Kelts has been appointed Director of Orchestras at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. He is also co-artistic director and conductor for the new Springfield (MO) based The Opus 6 Project: a chamber group of musicians devoted to baroque performance practices and the Op. 6 works of Corelli and Handel.

A native of St. Louis, Mr. Kelts has had many opportunities to perform in his home city. He has been the recipient of the “Arts for Life” Award for his musical direction in local theatre, served as guest conductor for the St. Louis Suburban Honors Orchestra and clinician to to many St. Louis School Districts. Kelts has also served as a guest clinician for the Hickman Mills Honors Orchestra (Kansas City) in addition to giving many clinics to local and state wide middle and high schools. He has also served as an adjudicator for the American String Teacher’s Association (ASTA).

Other conducting engagements have included: assistant conductor of the Kansas City Ballet, Chamber Orchestra of the Ozarks and the Urban Cultural Project (Kansas City).

Mr. Kelts completed his formal conducting training at Illinois State University and University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. His teachers have included Glenn Block, Robert Olson and Paul Vermel. While in his studies at UMKC Conservatory, Chris served as the assistant conductor for the Conservatory Symphony and Chamber Orchestra. He maintained the position as Opera conductor of many of the Conservatory’s opera productions. Mr. Kelts has conducted stage productions as: Le nozze di Figaro, Il Ritorno di Ulisses in Patria, Susannah, Pirates of Penzance, Hansel und Gretel, Guilio Cesare, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi and recently premiered Tonatzin. Chris has worked with stage directors, Linda Ade Brand, Marciem Bazell and Richard Gammon.

Not limited to his studies in orchestral conducting, Mr. Kelts formally trained as a violist where he studied at Missouri State University and Illinois State University. Mr. Kelts has ample symphonic experience as a violist. Recent positions have included; Springfield (MO) Symphony Orchestra, Peoria Symphony, Opera of Illinois Orchestra and the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra. His teachers have included Amy Muchnick, Kate Hamilton and Karen Tuttle.

For over nine years, Chris has served on the summer faculty for Missouri State University’s String Institute (String Fling) and is conductor for Stringendo-Heartland’s summer Chamber Music festival. Christopher Kelts is a member of the Conductor’s Guild.

The Kansas City Civic Orchestra is a community-based orchestra in the Kansas City metropolitan area. For more than 50 years, our mission has been to bring high quality, free concerts to the local community. Our all-volunteer orchestra is comprised of amateur and professional musicians with one thing in common – a love for music!

With more than 80 members of the orchestra, we continue to grow and expand our repertoire. Each season we offer a wide array of music and we are proud to be a part of the diverse music community in Kansas City.

As a not-for-profit organization, it is our goal that concerts remain free. We operate through the generous support of area foundations, companies and our dedicated listeners. Click here to learn more about you can support the Kansas City Civic Orchestra.

Listen to Carmina Burana (Orff)

Listen to Carmen Suite 2 (Bizet)