Andy Anderson, Music
Director of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, has
earned praise by critics for his “sensitive and
lyrical” conducting. Paul Horsley of the Kansas
City Star said “To hold together a performance
like this and make it fun for performers
and listeners is a rare gift.”
Mr. Anderson is the founder
and conductor of the Kansas City Puccini
Festival. Now in its eighth year, this
all-volunteer festival draws musicians from
several states to rehearse and perform a Puccini
opera in concert. In December of 2005 the Kansas
City Star listed the Kansas City Puccini
Festival’s performance of Turandot as one
of the “top 15 classical music and dance events
in 2005.” The festival will celebrate its ninth
season in 2008 with La Rondine.
Mr. Anderson is the Artistic
Director of the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas
City. Recent productions with Civic Opera
include Menotti’s The Medium, the world
premiere of Everlasting Universe by John
Mueter, The Mikado, Weill’s Street
Scene, Verdi’s Falstaff, Sondheim’s
Passion, A Gilbert & Sullivan
Christmas Carol, and Puccini’s Edgar.
Future productions will include Rorem’s
Our Town.
Recent performance
highlights have included a debut with the Lyric
Opera of Kansas City leading Il barbiere di
Siviglia, the North American premier of
The Queen Symphony by Tolga Kashif and
Mahler’s Symphony no. 3 with the Kansas City
Civic Orchestra, La bohème with Rimrock
Opera (Billings Montana) and Handel’s Messiah
with the St. Joseph Symphony (MO). Mr. Anderson
was recently appointed to the newly created post
of assistant conductor for the Lyric Opera of
Kansas City. As a cover conductor, Mr. Anderson
has conducted the Kansas City Symphony.
Upcoming performance
highlights include La Fanciulla del West
with Rimrock Opera (Billings Montana) and
Britten’s War Requiem with the Kansas
City Civic Orchestra.
Mr. Anderson's other opera
credits include Madama Butterfly, Le nozze di
Figaro, Manon Lescaut, Edgar, La traviata,
Tosca, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, Ariadne
auf Naxos, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Il tabarro,
Il barbiere di Siviglia, Die Zauberflöte, Don
Giovanni, Amahl and the Night Visitors
and La boh
.
Mr. Anderson completed
course work for a Doctorate degree and earned a
Masters of Music in orchestral conducting at t
he
University of Missouri – Kansas City
Conservatory of Music under the direction of Dr.
Robert Olson. While at the Conservatory of Music
UMKC, Mr. Anderson held the opera conducting
assistantship for four years. 2007 marks
Anderson's ninth year as the assistant conductor
of the Colorado MahlerFest in Boulder, Colorado
and he held the same post for three seasons with
the Kansas City Ballet. In May 2000 Mr. Anderson
was given the prestigious Muriel McBrien
Kauffman Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award by
the Conservatory of Music at UMKC. In August of
that same year Anderson joined the Production
staff of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Prior
to coming to Kansas City, Mr. Anderson was the
assistant conductor of the Natchitoches –
Northwestern Symphony Orchestra in his home
state of Louisiana.
Mr. Anderson is
represented by Ovation! Management, Chicago, IL.
