Next Gen: Opus 76 + Youth Symphony of Kansas City Series

September 28 “Centenaries and Celebrations” – 2 p.m. Yardley Hall
October 26 “America’s First Quartet Recital” – 2 p.m. Shawnee Mission South High School 
April 12 “The Rasumovsky, the Emperor, and the American Dream”  – 2 p.m. Shawnee Mission South High School
May 17 “Strings of a New Nation” – 2 p.m. Yardley Hall

“Centenaries and Celebrations”

2 p.m. Sunday, September 28 | Yardley Hall

Music infused with the spirit of youth! The Next Gen: Opus 76 Quartet + Youth Symphony Kansas City (YSKC) Series returns with another season of thrilling recitals! YSKC principal players join the Opus 76 Quartet in performing Benjamin Franklin’s Quartet in E Flat Major, “Fifths” by Josef Haydn, and “The Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi, in celebration of the work’s 300th anniversary.

Program

• Quartet in E Flat Major by Benjamin Franklin
• String Quartet in D Major no. 2 “Fifths” by Josef Hadyn
• “The Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by the Youth Symphony of Kansas City

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“America’s First Quartet Recital”

2 p.m. Sunday, October 26 | Shawnee Mission South High School (5800 W 107th St., Overland Park, KS 66207)
Advance sale only; no tickets sold at the door.

YSKC principal players join the Opus 76 Quartet in performing works by Brahms and Beethoven.

Program

• String Quartet no. 3 in D Major, Op. 18 by Ludwig van Beethoven
• Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51 no. 1 by Johannes Brahms

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“The Rasumovsky, the Emperor, and the American Dream”

2 p.m. Sunday, April 12 | Shawnee Mission South High School (5800 W 107th St., Overland Park, KS 66207)
Advance sale only; no tickets sold at the door.

YSKC principal players join the Opus 76 Quartet for performances of “Emperor” by Josef Haydn and “Razumovsky” by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Program

• String Quartet in C Major op. 76  no. 3 “Emperor” by Josef Haydn
• String Quartet in F Major op. 59 no. 1 “Razumovsky” by Ludwig van Beethoven

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“Strings of a New Nation”

2 p.m. Sunday, May 17 | Yardley Hall

Join the Opus 76 Quartet and Youth Symphony of Kansas City for a performance featuring Romanza for String Quartet by Edward MacDowell, alongside Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings and American Quartet.

Program

• Romanza for String Quartet by Edward MacDowell
• Serenade for Strings by Antonin Dvořák performed by the Youth Symphony of Kansas City
• Quartet No. 12, Op.96 “American” by Antonin Dvořák

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The Opus 76 Quartet

The Opus 76 Quartet, founded in 2017, is praised for its “old-school European elegance,” “unmistakably traditional sound, expressive clarity and warmth that harkens back to the golden age of quartet playing,” and “interpretive depth reminiscent of the Amadeus Quartet” (Gramophone, The Strad, Bachtrack).

Hailed as one of America’s top string quartets, they’ve earned national acclaim through performances at major festivals, broadcasts, and venues—including a 2023 Carnegie Hall debut noted as their leap from “regional excellence to national recognition” (Gramophone). Known for their expressive power and technical brilliance, they’ve collaborated with artists, including Karoly Schranz, David Kim, Paul Neubauer, Alexander Markov, Julie Coucheron, Ramona Pansegrau, and David Krakauer.

Hailed as “Kansas City’s Gem of a Quartet” by the Kansas City Star, the ensemble consists of prizewinning musicians Keith Stanfield, Zsolt Eder, Ashley Stanfield, and Daniel Ketter. They have appeared in a wide variety of venues, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Cincinnati Music Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Midwest Trust Center, and at the OK Mozart Festival, with highly anticipated performances on the horizon at Smith Square Hall (formerly St John's Smith Square), and King’s Place in London.

The Opus 76 Quartet's discography is extensive, including complete cycles of Beethoven quartets and recordings of works by Brahms, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Haydn, Bartok, and Schubert. Their recording of both Mozart’s "Six Quartets Dedicated to Haydn" and all 18 Beethoven String Quartets for Kansas Public Radio are particularly noteworthy.

The Opus 76 Quartet has garnered unique acclaim for their dynamic collaborations with ballet companies, notably through their performances of Alexander Ekman's “Cacti.” This innovative piece, which melds live music with contemporary dance, has seen the quartet share the stage with dancers in a captivating interplay between musicians and performers. Their rendition with the Kansas City Ballet was particularly celebrated to great acclaim in Bachtrack and Broadway World, who said: “This was a memorable, relentless performance and easily this reviewer’s favorite performer of the evening.” Similarly, their collaboration with the Oklahoma City Ballet was lauded for creating a "rich, all-encompassing, and simply gorgeous sensory experience" by the Oklahoma City Free Press.

Dedicated to education and community engagement, the quartet's initiative, “Music Making Minds,” provides music education to underserved communities, fostering a love for classical music among young audiences. The Quartet members also serve in various educational capacities, teaching at prestigious institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music, as Artists-in-Residence at The Midwest Trust Center and Educators-in-Residence at the Youth Symphony of Kansas City.

The Opus 76 Quartet embodies artistic excellence and a deep commitment to the future of classical music. Their continued efforts to make classical music accessible and relevant to modern audiences are at the heart of their mission, promising a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of communities throughout the United States and beyond.

This season, the Opus 76 Quartet continues to captivate audiences both locally and internationally with a diverse array of performances. Highlights include a debut collaboration with the Cincinnati Ballet after return performances with the Kansas City Ballet earlier in the year. They also recently returned to the Midwest Trust Center Series, featuring a special performance with David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Renowned publications, including The Strad, Gramophone, Bachtrack, The Spectator, The K.C. Independent, and K.C. Arts Beat have consistently commended the Opus 76 Quartet for their “emotive precision” and “deeply rooted ‘old school quartet style.’” Critics have noted the ensemble’s “striking blend of technical finesse and heartfelt expression,” emphasizing the quartet’s gift for forging a powerful connection with audiences through performances that are both artistically refined and emotionally resonant.

The Opus 76 Quartet are represented by Tom Gallant of General Arts Touring in the United States. For a detailed schedule of their upcoming performances, visit their official website.

Youth Symphony of Kansas City

The Youth Symphony of Kansas City (YSKC) was founded as “The Youth Symphony of the Heart of America” by conductor Leo Scheer in 1958. The organization initially consisted of one orchestra of 80 musicians. Incorporated on July 31, 1958, the organization has endured a long and interesting history as the musical home to young musicians in the Kansas City metro area.

Today, the Youth Symphony of Kansas City is comprised of four full orchestras. More than 450 young musicians participate annually. In summer 2015, a Summer String Camp was added. In June 2016, the Youth Symphony toured Ireland — its first international tour in a decade. A new young strings program — the Overture Program — launched in the 2016-17 season. June 2018 brought the Youth Symphony’s second recent international tour, this time with performances in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria.

Following 20 years of musical contributions as a conductor of our junior orchestra in Kansas City, conductor Russell E. Berlin retired in 2017-2018. The YSKC Academy was introduced for the 2021-2022 season, providing chamber music instruction soon followed by elective course opportunities for students, featuring teaching, conducting, music theory, performance psychology, and other classes.