Recitals offer best of Kansas City's musicians

JCCC's Ruel Joyce Recital Series and the Jazz Series feature the finest Kansas City classical and jazz musicians. But you can't buy a ticket. The series are free.

Doreen Maronde, former assistant dean of arts and humanities at JCCC, organizes the ever-popular Ruel Joyce and Jazz Series, a labor of love she began in fall 1989 with 10 recitals in the choral room of the Office and Classroom Building.

"Jerry Snider (JCCC's former director of cultural education) and I were trying to build an audience for the Recital Hall in the future Carlsen Center, which was to be completed the following year," Maronde said.

Maronde, who had previously worked as the director of cultural arts, Kansas City, Mo., sought funding for the series from Ruel Joyce, longtime jazz bassist who was secretary-treasurer of the Kansas City Federation of Musicians from 1977 until his death in 1989. With the opening of the Carlsen Center in 1990, the Ruel Joyce series, offering both classical and jazz concerts at the time, moved to the 50-seat Recital Hall. In 1994, the series was expanded to 15 recitals per semester and divided into the Ruel Joyce Recital Series with Kansas City classical musicians (nine recitals per semester) and the Jazz Series with Kansas City jazz musicians (six recitals per semester).

"I am committed to the series because Kansas City has so many fine musicians and the college has a good venue," Maronde said. "I want to give the classical musicians a chance to keep up with their individual recital work in addition to their orchestral performances and jazz musicians an opportunity to play where they get the attention they deserve - no conversation and noise like there is in clubs. And I want to give students, faculty, staff and the community a chance to hear them."

Ruel Joyce recitals are at noon Monday, and Jazz concerts are at noon Tuesday, in the fall September-November and the spring February-April. The series are cosponsored by the JCCC arts, humanities and music departments, Community Services and the Music Performance Trust Fund of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 34-627.

Variety is a consideration for each season - both in instrumentation and music styles. The jazz concerts are primarily acoustic rather than electronic. The recitals are consistently fine, as attested to by audience members who line up 30 minutes in advance for seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. Performers have included principal players from the Kansas City Symphony, opera singers Brian Steele and Katie Goyer, Robert and Lyra Pherigo, the Pete Eye Trio, Ida McBeth, Angela Hagenbach and Sons of Brasil.

"The satisfaction, for me, is having a series that musicians like to play and audiences like to attend. I am pleased the audiences have been so faithful," Maronde said.