William Jewell College in Liberty is a real gem for classical music … – Kansas City Star

William Jewell College in Liberty is a vital part of Kansas City’s musical life.

Its teachers conduct local choirs and wind ensembles, and its superb students regularly give performances in the city. The artist’s diploma program is doing for voice students what Stanislav Ioudenitch is doing for piano students at Park University, taking already excellent performers and giving them that last bit of polish to make them superstars,

It’s time to take a look at the beehive of arts activity at William Jewell and the terrific performances they have planned for the year ahead.

Ian Coleman, professor of music theory, started at William Jewell in 2002, and became chair of the music department in 2004. Three years ago, William Jewell combined its theater and music departments into the department of performing arts with Coleman as chair, and he says the synergy has been successful.

“We’ve been kind of living with it for a couple of years now,” Coleman said. “We made the change, and now we’re seeing the fruits of that. Even since we’ve made the change, we’ve already developed a few things that are really good and probably wouldn’t have been fully able to happen, if we hadn’t been connected together.”

The school’s artist’s diploma, founded by Grammy-winning baritone and William Jewell alum Danny Belcher in 2001, is certainly starting to bear fruit, he said. Belcher left at the end of the last school year, but Coleman says the new co-directors, Joanna Ruszala and Matthew Haney, are ready to carry on with Belcher’s vision.

“They’re going to be a great team,” Coleman said. “Joanna brings the voice training side of things. She is going to be demanding but in a good way. I think she’ll set a high but very attainable standard. Matt is also both an excellent singer and voice teacher, but his strengths are also in the area of stage design and production. His track record working with various opera companies, including the LA Opera, would suggest that he’s really got a good thing going.“

The artist’s diploma program will present two productions this year, Handel’s “Alcina” on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 and Spring Scenes, featuring selections from various operas May 3 and 4.

“We’re immensely grateful for the work Danny did the first few years,” Coleman said. “We’re sorry to see him go, but we’re fortunate to have good people to take over from him.”

Anthony Maglione, director of choral studies, has been distinguishing himself as a teacher, composer and conductor. He leads the William Jewell Concert Choir and Cardinalis, an ensemble of students and professionals that includes alumni and singers from the community.

“Tony has been building a phenomenal program that is receiving a lot of awards and accolades,” Coleman said. “This coming year, for example, they’ll be going to the Missouri Music Teachers Association conference. “They’re part of a select group. Just two collegiate choirs will perform there.

The Concert Choir will perform on Nov. 19, March 24 and April 21. Cardinalis will perform Sept. 24, Nov. 5 and April 28. The Nov. 5 concert will take place at Community Christian Church and will feature a commission.

“It is a canon for racial reconciliation,” Coleman said. “It is based on the Orthodox tradition. In presenting these two disparate identities, the African American tradition and the Orthodox tradition, it seeks to blend these two together while keeping their characteristic elements, and creating a space for racial dialogue and reconciliation.”

William Jewell’s excellent orchestral program is headed up by Langston Hemenway, who is a very busy person. In addition to being the director of instrumental studies and music education, Hemenway also conducts the Liberty Symphony Orchestra, which is sponsored by William Jewell, and the Kansas City Wind Symphony and is a musician at Village Presbyterian Church.

“One of the things I appreciate about Langston is that not only is he active with us, he is also very active in Kansas City,” Coleman said. “So we’ve got someone who is not only focused on building a great program at Jewell, but who is also embedding themselves in the musical fabric of Kansas City.”

You can hear Hemenway and his merry band of musicians perform on Dec. 1 at William Jewell’s Lighting of the Quad.

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Nathan Wyman, director of theater and dance, is enthusiastic about having the theater and music departments combined. As producing director of the Jewell Theatre Company, he is eager to collaborate and perhaps bring more theatrical elements into concerts.

Wyman’s theater program is another Jewell success story, with around 30 theater majors at the school, a significant number for a midsize college.

The Jewell Theatre Company will present a real curiosity, Sophie Treadwell’s “Machinal,” which will be presented Nov. 9 though 12.

“It’s a play by Sophie Treadwell about women in the early 20th century in America and the struggles they go through to find independence,” Wyman said. “The expressionistic tone of the play allows us to set it in a very creative way. We’re thinking about interesting ways to work with light and dark, mechanical movement and interesting things like that.”

Wyman is thankful that he’s able to give his students lots of room to experiment.

“These are the kinds of things that we can do at a small college, where we can take a risk with a production style,” Wyman said. “We’re not reliant on the money we make with ticket sales. We want to fill the house, but if it doesn’t happen, we’ve created an interesting piece of art that some people got to see, and hopefully it was a good experience for the students who were involved with it.”

April 11 to 14, the Jewell Theatre Company will present “Head Over Heels.”

“It’s a musical made of music by the band The Go-Gos from the 1980s, but it’s set in the medieval time period,” Wyman said.. “It’s the story of a kingdom and a prince and princess who fall in love. It’s a really weird mashup of time period and music. It was a real hit on Broadway for a short while, and we got the rights to produce it, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

Performances at William Jewell

For a complete list of concerts and more information, 816-415-7537 or jewell.edu/performing-arts-calendar.

Sept. 24 at 2:30 p.m.: Cardinalis. St. James Catholic Church, 309 S. Stewart Road, Liberty.

Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m.: Liberty Symphony Orchestra. Gano Chapel, William Jewell College.

Nov. 3 and Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Artist’s Diploma program presents “Alcina.” Peters Theater, William Jewell College.

Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m.: Cardinalis presents “Canon for Racial Reconciliation.” Community Christian Church, 4601 Main St.

Nov. 9, 10 and 11 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 2 p.m.: Jewell Theatre Company presents “Machinal” by Sophie Treadwell. Peters Theater.

Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m.: Cardinal Voices and Concert Choir. St. James Catholic Church.

Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.: Lighting of the Quad. Gano Chapel.

Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.: Liberty Symphony Orchestra. Gano Chapel.

Dec. 11 at 11:30 a.m.: City Come Again with the Concert Choir. Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W. 13th St.

March 2 at 7:30 p.m.: Liberty Symphony Orchestra. Gano Chapel.

April 11, 12 and 13 at 7 p.m. and April 14 at 2 p.m.: Jewell Theatre Company presents “Head Over Heels.” Peters Theater.

April 21 at 4 p.m.: Concert Choir and Youth Chorus of Kansas City. Gano Chapel.

April 28 at 7:30 p.m.: Cardinalis. Venue to be determined.

May 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m.: Artist’s Diploma program presents “Spring Scenes.” Peters Theater.

May 5 at 3:30 p.m.: Cardinalis. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.