Beethoven, Dolly Parton and ‘Top Gun’: Here’s what’s next for the Kansas City Symphony
Violinist Alex Shum has been performing with the Kansas City Symphony since 1982 — the symphony’s entire existence. But he doesn’t have to strain his brain to recall the most magical memory of his tenure.
That came last August, when the symphony toured Europe for the first time, playing historic venues in Amsterdam, Hamburg and Berlin.
“Really, it was a dream come true,” Shum said. “I couldn’t even imagine I’d have chance to go to those halls, much less play in them. … The audience reaction was very warm. We felt really good. I just couldn’t stop smiling.”
Shum plans to keep collecting memories when he and the symphony celebrate their 44th year in 2025-26.
The symphony, which announced the schedule Wednesday, Feb. 26, will open the season with Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” on Oct. 10-12 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
In his second season heading the 80-member symphony, music director Matthias Pintscher will conduct eight of the 14 Classical Series programs, including opening weekend and a two-part program featuring the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff.
For Shum, 2025-26 actually will be season No. 48 in Kansas City. “I’m right now the longest-serving member, really,” he said.
Marvin Gruenbaum (viola) and Susan Goldenberg (violin) also are charter members of the symphony, but Shum’s tenure includes the final four years of the Kansas City Philharmonic’s existence. He moved to the symphony when the philharmonic was dissolved in 1982.
After coming to the United States from Hong Kong in 1972, Shum married and helped raise five children — all of whom still live in the Kansas City area. At age 71, he doesn’t plan to retire in the near future.
“I love to play, so we’ll see, one year at a time,” Shum said. “But I’d love to be able get to 50 (years) if I could.”
Shum has been impressed by Pintscher, who took over for longtime music director Michael Stern before the European tour. The 54-year-old German is a composer as well as a conductor.
“Since he is a composer, it seems he really has a feel for what the composer wants and communicates it to us,” Shum said. “It makes the experience much deeper, and I think the audience feels it, too. When I get into the hall, even backstage, I feel a sense of joy already to get ready for the concerts.”
As in the current season, which runs through June 8, concerts in 2025-26 will provide audiences with a wide selection. In addition to symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvořák, Mahler, Prokofiev and Sibelius in the Classical Series, the popular Film + Live Orchestra Series will return with presentations of “Top Gun: Maverick” and other films and the Pop Series will pay tribute to Dolly Parton, female R&B singers and Billy Joel and Elton John. Also, Leslie Odom Jr. will join the symphony for a holiday concert.
Kansas City Symphony 2025-26 season
Where: All performances will take place in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets: Subscription packages will go on sale Thursday, Feb. 27.
Information: kcsymphony.org.
Classical Series
“Copland’s Appalachian Spring,” Oct. 10-12
“Rachmaninoff Celebration, Part 1, Piano Concerto No. 2,” Oct. 31-Nov. 2
“Matthias Conducts Mahler: Symphony No. 7,” Nov. 21-23
“Brahms’ Fourth Symphony,” Jan. 9-11
“Pines of Rome and Bruch’s Second Violin Concerto,” Jan. 16-18
“Beethoven and Beyond,” Jan. 30-Feb. 1
“Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony,” Feb. 6-8
“Saint-Saëns’ First Cello Concerto and Strauss,” March 13-15, 2026
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” April 10-12, 2026
“Farrenc, Schumann and Dvořák,” April 17-19, 2026
“Grieg’s Piano Concerto,” May 8-10, 2026
“Gil Shaham Plays Brahms,” May 29-31, 2026
“Rachmaninoff Celebration, Part 2, Piano Concerto No. 3,” June 5-7, 2026
“Rhapsody in Blue” and “Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony,” June 19-21, 2026
Pops Series
“Windborne’s The Music of Journey,” Sept. 19-21
“’90s Mixtape,” Oct. 24-26
“She’s Got Soul,” Feb. 13-15
“The Music of Billy Joel and Elton John,” March 27-29, 2026
“Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony,” May 15-17, 2026
Family Series
“The Orchestra Games,” Sept. 28
“Carnival of the Animals,” Nov. 9
“Philharmonia Fantastique,” March 1, 2026
Holiday Events
“Elf” in Concert, Nov. 28-30
“Handel’s Messiah,” Dec. 5-7
Leslie Odom Jr. with the Kansas City Symphony – The Christmas Tour,” Dec. 12-13
Christmas Festival, Dec. 18-21
“It’s a Wonderful Life” in Concert, Dec. 23-24
Film + Live Orchestra
“Top Gun: Maverick” in Concert, Oct. 17-19
“Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” in Concert, Jan 23-25
“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in Concert, Feb. 19-22
Special Presentations
Dorothy Papadakos: “The Lodger,” Silent Film and Organ, Oct. 22
Chris Thile with the Kansas City Symphony, Feb. 12
Flint Hills finale
The nonprofit organization that puts on Symphony in the Flint Hills recently announced that this summer’s event, the 20th, will be the last. The KC Symphony’s final annual appearance at Symphony in the Flint Hills will be June 14 in Chase County, Kansas, which is about two hours southwest of KC.
