Celebrate New Year’s on Jan. 3 with the Kinnor Philharmonic Orchestra, which has something else to celebrate as well — its fifth anniversary. The concert will be held at the philharmonic’s regular venue, Congregation Beth Torah.
During the past four years, Kinnor has always held a New Year’s concert on Jan. 1; however, this year as New Year’s Day falls on Friday the celebration has been moved to Sunday so it won’t conflict with Shabbat.
Music Director Chris Kelts and Robin Onikul founded Kinnor Philharmonic. Onikul is president of the board of directors and plays second oboe in the orchestra.
“We had this idea to create an orchestra centered within the Jewish community of Kansas City,” Kelts said. “Our audience is made up of the Jewish community as well as the Greater Kansas City region.”
The word “kinnor” in biblical meaning refers to a harp or lyre, and in modern Hebrew means violin, but the ensemble is more than a Jewish orchestra. With its strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion, 45 to 55 musicians — a mix of Jews and non-Jews — play everything from Ludwig van Beethoven to Richard Strauss, Aaron Copland to Ira Gershwin, and many others in between.
“Aside from our name, where we are centered is important,” Kelts said. “We wanted to exist within the Jewish community. Our board of directors has members of the Jewish community on it, and our repertoire always tries to feature a Jewish element to it — much like the theater at the Jewish Community Center. Robin and I felt that the community has wonderful artistic endeavors, but what might be missing was a symphonic component.”
As music director Kelts says he always solicits musical feedback from the board of directors as well as musicians within the orchestra before a program is planned.
Kelts was born and raised in St. Louis. In 2005, he moved to Kansas City to begin his doctoral degree at the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is a violinist by trade, but in 2002 decided that conducting was more of a fit. He has a master’s and a doctoral degree in orchestra/opera conducting.
From 2009 to 2010 Kelts was director of orchestras at Washburn University in Topeka. He also served as music director and conductor with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra for nearly eight years. He stepped down from that position this year to begin a new job at Missouri State University in Springfield as director of orchestral studies.
While in the Kansas City area, Kelts and his wife Maureen were active members of Congregation Ohev Sholom.
The Kinnor Philharmonic performs two concerts a year. Its summer 2016 concert is scheduled for June 26. Kelts said future goals include adding a concert to each of the summer months to create a summer concert series. All rehearsals and performances take place at Congregation Beth Torah.
“They have been so instrumental in their partnership with us,” the 36-year-old conductor said. “They have accommodated the needs for the orchestra since day one. We have so much appreciation for the staff and space of Congregation Beth Torah.”
The New Year’s concert will feature a special guest soloist, 8-year-old Joshua Kovác, who will be making his solo orchestral debut with the first movement of Klengel’s cello concerto. Last year, playing this same concerto, Joshua won first place and Laureate title in the 13th International Competition Pro Bohemia in Ostrava, and second place in the 23rd year of the Hera Violoncello Competition in Ústi nad Orlicí, both in the Czech Republic.
Kelts said he did his doctoral work with Joshua’s father, David Kovác, who is also the principal violist for Kinnor Philharmonic.
“I knew his son was a talented cellist, but when I heard him and his winning of two international competitions, I knew we would be the perfect vehicle for Joshua to make his orchestral soloist debut,” Kelts said. “He is such a sweet and talented young man. He has the mind of an 8-year old boy, and at the same time possesses some really mature musical ideas and skills.”
The Kinnor Philharmonic will perform some Slavonic dances by Antonin Dvorák, as well as their traditional Viennese waltzes and polkas. The concert will end with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, in honor of their fifth anniversary.
Everyone attending the concert is asked to bring a can of soup for the Jewish Family Services Food Pantry.