KC Youth Symphony fires executive director after embezzlement investigation
.png "Keith Stanfield, far left, was photographed at a fundraiser in 2016 alongside his wife.")
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Keith Stanfield’s removal from leadership of a second nonprofit organization.
The executive director of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City has been fired for allegedly misappropriating funds.
Keith Stanfield, a violinist, concertmaster and member of The Opus 76 Quartet, was fired March 31. The organization found he misappropriated less than 7% of the organization’s funds, according to an email sent to parents from Rachel Beichley, interim executive director at the Youth Symphony of Kansas City.
YSKC’s made nearly $1 million in total revenue in 2025, according to Guide Star, a nonprofit database.
“As soon as financial irregularities were identified by administrative staff, an independent third-party investigation was launched to discover the extent of fraudulent behavior,” Beichley said in the email.
Then, on Tuesday, The Star learned Stanfield had also been terminated as executive director of the Friends of the Opus 76 Quartet Foundation.
YSKC, a junior orchestra project and academy, gives students from grades 2-12 the opportunity to perform in concert venues like the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Prospective students audition for a spot and pay a tuition fee, according to YSKC’s website.
Stanfield began working at YSKC in August 2023 as the director of artistic engagement before becoming the executive director in January 2024, according to YSKC’s webite and the organization’s social media.
Beichley said that YSKC is pursuing every legal remedy to recover the funds, and the symphony’s board is working to strengthen their policies and procedures to require more oversight on authorized spending.
“We want you to have the utmost confidence in the integrity of our finances,” she said in the email.
Beichley assured parents in the email that the misappropriated funds will not impact YSKC’s concert schedule, or the upcoming trips to Chicago and Germany and will make due as best they can, but mentioned the possibility of supplementing teachers.
“All YSKC events scheduled for the 2026-2027 academic year will continue as planned, and we are very excited to finish this season with our two concerts on May 2nd,” she said in the email. “If needed, YSKC will supplement its teaching staff with qualified, experienced substitute instructors.”
Beichley said she will work as the interim executive director through the end of the fiscal year, June 30, while YSKC seeks a more permanent replacement.
“Our mission remains clear - to provide quality music education experiences to young musicians in the greater Kansas City area,” Beichley said in the email.
YSKC confirmed the details of Stanfield’s firing and the investigation in a statement but did not share further information. Stanfield could not be immediately be reached for comment.
YSKC is also being sued by Greg Carroll, a former employee, for discrimination and retaliation regarding treatment he alleged he endured, as well as for his termination.
Stanfield was suspected of similar crimes at the Opus 76 foundation, according to Karen Donnelly, a lawyer representing the foundation.
“An internal investigation discovered that Mr. Stanfield had fraudulently utilized the Foundation’s charitable funds for his own personal purposes,” Donnelly said in a statement to The Star Tuesday.
The Opus 76 Quartet is a respected performance group in Kansas City that Stanfield leads, according to its website. The foundation’s goal is to support charitable works associated with the group.
Donnelly said the foundation’s board is working to strengthen their policies and procedures to prevent future instances of fraud or the misuse of funds.
“The Opus 76 Quartet Foundation values its relationship with the community, especially the students it teaches, and the Foundation remains steadfast in its mission to provide musical education and artistic performances to the Kansas City Community,” Donnelly said in the statement.
This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 5:21 PM.
