Fired KC youth symphony director ousted from second performance group, nonprofit
.png "Keith Stanfield, far left, was photographed at a fundraiser in 2016 alongside his wife.")
The former executive director for the Youth Symphony of Kansas City has been fired from a second music nonprofit for allegedly misappropriating charitable funds.
Keith Stanfield, a violinist and concertmaster, was terminated as executive director of the Friends of the Opus 76 Quartet Foundation for similar crimes, the foundation’s lawyer, Karen Donnelly, said Tuesday. Donnelly also said Stanfield will no longer be a part of the quartet.
“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 on Tuesday. “The Board is working to strengthen the Friends of the Opus 76 Quartet Foundation’s policies and procedures to prevent any future occurrence of fraud or misuse of funds.”
It comes about two weeks after Stanfield was fired from YSKC. 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 YSKC.
YSKC’s made nearly $1 million in total revenue in 2025, according to Guide Star, a nonprofit database.
Stanfield had founded Opus 76 in 2017. It has since become one of the country’s top string quartets, performing at several festivals, broadcasts and venues, including Carnegie Hall, according to its website.
Misappropriated funds at the Youth Symphony of Kansas City
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.
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.
“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.
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 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.
