Next Gen: Opus 76 + Youth Symphony of Kansas City Series
September 28, 2025 - May 17, 2026 | Yardley Hall and Shawnee Mission South High School
$15 for adults; $5 for youth. Advance sale only; no tickets sold at the door.
MTC, Opus 76 Quartet, and the Youth Symphony of Kansas City bring an exciting and affordable new collaboration to the community with an unparalleled series of classical music performed by emerging artists.
Sun. | Sep. 28 | 2 p.m. – Yardley Hall
Sun. | Oct. 26 | 2 p.m. – Shawnee Mission South High School
Sun. | Apr. 12 | 2 p.m. – Shawnee Mission South High School
Sun. | May 17 | 2 p.m. – Yardley Hall
The Opus 76 Quartet
The Opus 76 Quartet, established in 2017, has swiftly emerged as a leading force in the classical music world, earning acclaim in prestigious international music journals such as Bachtrack, Gramophone, and The Strad for their exceptional performances, innovative programming, and deep commitment to education and community outreach.
Hailed as “Kansas City’s Premier String Quartet” by Kansas City’s The Independent, the ensemble consists of distinguished musicians Keith Stanfield, Zsolt Eder, Ashley Stanfield, and Daniel Ketter. Their March 2023 debut at Carnegie Hall was described by Gramophone as “a fine reflection of their five-year journey from regional emergence to national recognition,” underscoring their rapid rise and significant impact on the classical music scene.
The Opus 76 Quartet's discography is extensive, including complete cycles of Beethoven quartets and recordings of works by Brahms, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and Schubert. Their recording of Mozart’s "Six Quartets Dedicated to Haydn" for Kansas Public Radio is particularly noteworthy.
The Quartet has had the privilege of collaborating with an impressive roster of distinguished guest artists and organizations. Among these esteemed collaborators are violinist David Kim, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist Noémie Golubovic, clarinetist David Krakauer, and pianists Ramona Pansegrau and Julie Coucheron, as well as the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Cincinnati Symphony, and Cincinnati Ballet.
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. 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 Kansas City and beyond.
In the upcoming season, the Opus 76 Quartet will continue to captivate audiences both locally and internationally with a diverse array of performances. Highlights include a debut collaboration with violinist Alexander Markov (November 2025) and return performances with the Kansas City Ballet (January 2026). They will also return to the Midwest Trust Center Series as artists-in-residence for five recitals and the “Music Making Minds” Festival in 2026, as well as undertaking other national and international recitals. Additionally, the quartet will present the OP76 Signature Series in Kansas City, showcasing works which tell the story of the History of Chamber Music in America, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States (August 2025 - May 2026).
Esteemed critics from publications such as The Strad, Gramophone, Bachtrack, The Spectator, The Independent, and KC Arts Beat have consistently praised the quartet for their “passionate and precise” performances and “innovative programming,” highlighting their ability to connect with audiences through emotionally rich and technically superb renditions of classical repertoire.
Adding to its previous recordings of “The Complete Works for String Quartet by Ludwig van Beethoven,” (broadcast live on Kansas Public Radio KPR in 2020), Opus 76 recorded Mendelssohn’s Op. 44 No. 1, Schubert’s Quintet in C, Brahms’s F minor Piano Quintet, Mozart’s Quintet No. 3 in C Major, Bartok’s Quartet No. 1, and Mozart’s The Six Quartets Dedicated to Haydn, a project also supported by KPR. For a detailed schedule of their upcoming performances, visit opus76.org.
In addition to a national touring schedule, as part of its residency, the Quartet runs The Sunrise Programme, which provides a year of free lessons and performance opportunities to selected students in the Kansas City metro area.
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, YSKC 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, YSKC 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 to Austria. Performances took place in Salzburg and Vienna.
Following 20 years of musical contributions as conductor of our junior orchestra in Kansas City, Russell E. Berlin retired in 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.