KC’s International Center for Music is packed with talent. Here’s when you can see it

Park University’s International Center for Music, founded by Van Cliburn Competition gold medalist Stanislav Ioudenitch in 2003, is one of the finest music schools in the country, turning out world-class champions like pianists Behzod Abduraimov, Kenny Broberg and, most recently, Cliburn finalist Ilya Shmukler.

Luckily for Kansas City, the school shares its bounty with the community.

The center has announced its 20th anniversary 2022-2023 season and it’s a veritable cornucopia overflowing not only with the school’s own stellar students and faculty, but also visiting artists who are among the greatest musicians in the world. And thanks to the generosity of Park’s donors, these concerts are very affordable or even free.

The season will start off on Oct. 7 with a fall concert by the Park ICM Orchestra led by guest conductor David Amado. The festive program will include Beethoven’’s Symphony No. 2 and the mystical “Fratres” by sacred minimalist Arvo Pärt.

On Oct. 8, Shmukler, the man of the hour, will give his first recital in the Kansas City area since becoming a finalist in the Cliburn Competition in June. He’ll give a powerful demonstration of his virtuosity with a program that includes Stravinsky’s dazzling “Three Movements From Petrushka” and the complete “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Mussorgsky.

On Oct. 28 all of Ioudenitch’s students will be showcased on the Park ICM Piano Studio concert. On Nov. 19, Israeli violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi will give a recital of music by Busoni and Moszkowski.

Steven McDonald will lead the Park ICM Orchestra in “An Intimate Christmas” on Dec. 3 at the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on the Park campus. Parkville is absolutely lovely during the holidays, so this concert would make a memorable excursion for the entire family.

ICM’s beloved violin teacher Ben Sayevich and his wife, pianist Lolita Lisovskaya- Sayevich, will give a recital on Feb. 9. And you can keep the romantic vibes going with a belated Valentine’s Day concert on Feb. 17 with with the Park ICM Orchestra under the baton of Suzanna Pavlovsky.

German pianist Claudio Martinez Mehner will make a special appearance on Feb. 24 when he’ll perform music by C.P.E. Bach, Brahms, Debussy and Albeniz.

The annual “Stanislav & Friends” concert will take place March 11 at Helzberg Hall. It’s always a blowout when Ioudenitch and other Park stars get together for a jam session like no other. This year, Ioudenitch will be joined by cellist Daniel Veis, violinists Sayevich, Igor Khukhua and Maria Ioudenitch and pianists Broberg and Abduraimov.

Speaking of Abduraimov, the London International Piano Competition winner and ICM artist-in-residence, will conclude the season with a recital May 11 at the Folly.

For tickets and more details, icm.park.edu.

7:30 p.m. Oct. 7: Park ICM Orchestra Fall Concert. Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel, Park University, 8500 N.W. River Park Drive.

7:30 p.m. Oct. 8: Ilya Shmukler, piano. 1900 Building, 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway.

7:30 p.m. Oct. 28: Park ICM Piano Studio. 1900 Building.

7:30 p.m. Nov. 19: Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin. 1900 Building.

7:30 p.m. Dec. 3: An Intimate Christmas With Park ICM Orchestra, Steven McDonald, conductor. Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel.

7:30 p.m. Jan. 19: Park ICM String Studios. 1900 Building.

7:30 Feb. 9: Ben Sayevich, violin, and Lolita Lisovskaya- Sayevich, piano. 1900 Building.

7:30 p.m. Feb. 17: Valentines With Park ICM Orchestra, Suzanna Pavlovsky, conductor. Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel.

7:30 p.m. Feb. 24: Claudio Martinez Mehner, piano. 1900 Building.

7 p.m. March 11: “Stanislav & Friends” 2023. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

7:30 p.m. March 31: Spring With Park ICM Orchestra, Laura Jackson, conductor. Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel.

7:30 p.m. April 28: Park ICM Orchestra’s Season Finale, Timothy Hankewich, conductor. Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel.

7:30 p.m. May 11: Behzod Abduraimov, piano. Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St.

Te Deum 2022-2023 Season

Matthew Christopher Shepard filled a musical gap in Kansas City when he founded Te Deum in 2008. This refined choral ensemble performs a wide variety of repertoire always to the highest standards. To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Shepard has programmed works that will highlight his ensemble’s versatility and virtuosity.

Staring off the season on Sept. 17 is Mozart’s Requiem. As famously portrayed in the film “Amadeus,” Mozart dictated most of the Requiem, fittingly enough, on his death bed. His student, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, completed the work a year after Mozart’s death. The circumstances surrounding the composition are shrouded in mystery and controversy, but one thing that can be agreed on is that it is one of Mozart’s greatest works.

Every year, Te Deum offers Kansas City a concert of rare and popular Christmas works. On Dec. 19 and 20 it will continue that tradition with several settings of the centuries-old Christmas chant “O Magnum Mysterium,” including a new commission by Te Deum’s composer-in-residence, James Eakin III.

One of Te Deum’s greatest strengths is its performance of Renaissance polyphony. This complex and soaring repertoire will be featured on “A Glimpse of Heaven: Sacred Treasures of the Renaissance” Jan. 21 and 22.

After being cast aside in recent decades in favor of guitar and polka Masses, the serenity and sublime beauty of Gregorian chant is being rediscovered by many spiritual seekers. Te Deum will perform Chanted Vespers for Lent on March 12 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, a perfect venue for this timeless music.

Concluding the season on June 3 and 4 is Monteverdi’s Venetian Vespers of 1641. Not to be confused with the more famous Vespers of 1610, these vespers are taken from Monteverdi’s “Selva morale e spirituale,” written near the end of the composer’s life. This brilliant choral music is a summation of Monteverdi’s genius.

Mozart’s Requiem: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W. 13th St., and 3 p.m. Sept. 18 at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road.

“O Magnum Mysterium”: 7 p.m. Dec. 19 at Village Presbyterian Church and 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 1307 Holmes St.

“A Glimpse of Heaven: Sacred Treasures of the Renaissance” (Antiqua Series): 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at a Kansas City location to be announced and 3 p.m. Jan. 22 at Grace Cathedral, 701 S.W. Eighth Ave., Topeka.

Chanted Vespers for Lent: 5 p.m. March 12 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

Monteverdi’s Venetian Vespers of 1641: 7:30 p.m. June 3 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and 3 p.m. June 4 at Village Presbyterian Church.

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