Michael Stern, conductor and musical director of the Kansas City Symphony, terminates his leadership as the organization begins its search for a new director. (photo by Todd Rosenberg)

The mojo was back when the Kansas City Symphony returned from pandemic limbo to kick off its current season in September. The crowd was a bit smaller than we’ve been used to in recent years, and everyone was masked, including most of the musicians, except those who had horns or reeds to blow. But the feelings were raw and real. The audience even gave the musicians, who entered at the right time, a rousing standing ovation before a single note was played. Yes, welcome back.

Conductor and Music Director Michael Stern had prepared an extremely energetic evening. It was first a brief and energetic overture by Beethoven, then a new resolutely modern and unpredictable piano concerto by Gabriel Kahane, played by his father, Jeffrey Kahane, then, after the intermission, a disjointed and catchy pastiche in the First Mahler’s Symphony, known as the “Titan. “

No one has mentioned the significant period the Symphony has now entered as Stern terminates his leadership. In the meantime, this season and the next, audiences will be able to witness a parade of guest conductors, some, if not all, of whom are candidates to take over the group and lead it into the long future.

It just might be a generational opportunity, not only for the Kansas City Symphony but for the city as well. As one of the most important cultural organizations in our region, the Symphony plays an outsized role in leadership, education and community development. Anyone who stands on this podium can and should bring their energy and vision to city life, even outside the comfort of Helzberg Hall.

Michael Stern brought a lot of zest and good humor to the role of Music Director as the Symphony built on its great fortune of performing in a state-of-the-art venue over the past decade. He oversaw an impressive youth movement on stage and generally made the band breathe as one organism, as he liked to say, taking on the double challenge of heightened audience expectations and the creation of transformative art. Beyond that – in my opinion – I rarely felt that Stern was connected to the community at large in the meaningful way you would expect from a cultural leader and an ambassador.

Symphony’s board of directors could make a statement by demanding, on the one hand, that Stern’s successor move to Kansas City full-time. Of course, there are travel requests and commitments elsewhere, but conducting the Kansas City Symphony should involve a much more intimate connection to its city and region, especially in this provocative era of cultural transformation, racial calculus and daring. active listening to long neglected constituencies.

For a perspective on finding a conductor, I checked with Roger Oyster, the orchestra’s lead trombonist and one of its oldest members. From a musician’s perspective, for example, Oyster said, an ideal conductor is one who can both gently guide musicians, while stepping aside to let them play.

From now on, most of the guest conductors will put their charm and musical skills to the fore as potential candidates. Betting money (if any) would suggest we keep an eye out for next season’s lineup, which has yet to be announced. Will any of the current guests be invited again? Will there be guest chefs with more experience, bigger names, or more diversity than what we’ll see in the current season? For example, only one of the 10 guests this season is a woman. The skin colors are predominantly white.

Still, there is a long way to go.

In the meantime, the Symphony, with its young and ambitious force, will continue to impress and inspire, harnessing the energies of the classical tradition and embracing the frequent shocks of the new.

“We’re in a great place in every way,” Oyster told me. “That’s what makes this important hire so exciting. “

A sculpture reborn

A few years ago, I reported on an unexpected disruption to our public landscape. Kenneth Snelson’s “Triple Crown” sculpture, which anchored the southern tip of the Crown Center, had been removed from its supports and rested on the newly fenced lot along Main Street. Repair was needed, but nothing seemed to be happening for so long. I am happy to report that the sparkling engineering marvel, one of my favorite pieces of public sculpture in our city, has been restored to its perch. Local metal maker Machine Head, working with Seattle artist and restorer Philip Stewart, who apprenticed with the late sculptor, replaced many pieces and was preparing to relocate the piece in early November.