This preview brought to you by the Astra Ensemble
Kansas City has never lacked for choral excellence, but every so often a new choir enters the landscape with enough distinction to make its presence felt. Astra Ensemble, now embarking on its first full season, is one of those rare arrivals. Under the direction of Lawrence Abernathy, the group has brought a unique sound and a unique point of view to Kansas City‘s music scene. It’s an ensemble defined not only by its polished sound but also by an unusually intimate artistic mission.
Abernathy, who also serves as director of choral studies at William Jewell College, describes Astra as the product of long‑held artistic longing. He recalled a formative moment from graduate school at the University of South Carolina. Invited to sing with a professional ensemble led by Joel Scraper, Abernathy arrived expecting a formal rehearsal. Instead, he found himself in Scraper’s living room, music and camaraderie flowing as freely as the beverages. The singers pushed one another to new expressive extremes—leaning into madrigals, masses, and folk‑like storytelling with a kind of fearless intimacy.
“It felt like you weren’t singing for us,” Abernathy remembers audience members saying after the performance. “It felt like we were in a home with the audience … it was more like folk music than anything else we had experienced in a classical setting. I’ve been looking for that experience ever since I had it,” he said.
That sensation—of closeness, of shared breath and shared story—has become Astra’s guiding star. Abernathy spent years singing with Kansas City ensembles, quietly noting which colleagues might be capable of sharing that rare chemistry. When the moment felt right, he sent a single email to a carefully chosen group of friends. “You should know that if we’re going to do this, it’s going to be this collection of people,” he told them. “We’re going to do this very intentionally.”
The result is a roster of some of the city’s most admired vocal artists: Julia Scozzafava, Victoria Olson, Gabe Lewis‑O’Connor, Nick Stoppel, J.W. Keckley, Alyssa Toepfer, and Abernathy himself. Their early performances—two proof‑of‑concept concerts for family and friends—confirmed the ensemble’s potential. “Things went really well,” Abernathy says with characteristic understatement. “So we decided to put together a full season.”
Astra is only one part of Abernathy’s musical life. In addition to his work at William Jewell College, he serves as artistic director of the Topeka Festival Singers and director of music at Community Christian Church on the Plaza. “I’m really fortunate to have a very packed schedule of great music making,” he says.
Ian Coleman, the former Director of the Fine Arts Program at William Jewell College, hired Abernathy to fill the rather large shoes of the highly respected outgoing Director of Choral Studies, Anthony Maglione.
“Transitions like this are always challenging, as students learn how to interact with a new personality and approach,” Coleman said. “Lawrence brings a wealth of ideas as he continues to build the strong program at Jewell. I have always felt that for the music students in any college setting, having faculty who are actively practicing their art offers examples of real-world application. It is one of Lawrence’s strengths that he lives out his art as a daily positive example of what can be achieved in music.”
Another notable choir to which Abernathy lends his voice is the Spire Chamber Ensemble led by Ben Spalding. Spire collaborated with Abernathy and the William Jewell College Choirs in the fall of 2025 on the massive choral masterpieceSpem in allium for 40 voices by Thomas Tallis.
“His students worked so hard on very difficult music so early in the semester,” Spalding said. “It’s a joy to have Lawrence as a treasured Kansas City choral colleague.”
Even in its infancy, Astra has drawn notable praise. John Schaefer, one of Kansas City’s most respected classical music voices, compared the ensemble to Great Britain’s Voces8, an accolade Abernathy does not take lightly. “We’re really flattered by that,” he says. “So many of us grew up listening to and emulating those incredible artists.”
A Name Written in the Stars
The ensemble’s name, Astra, carries both regional and symbolic resonance. When Abernathy moved to Lawrence, Kansas, he encountered the state motto: Ad Astra per Aspera—to the stars through struggle. The phrase lingered.
“I thought what I want this to feel like is that we are engaged in something very old, and something very raw,” he explains. “Almost like you’re at a campfire singing with people, looking up, and what do you see? Oh, it’s the stars.”
Choral singing, he notes, is humanity’s oldest art form—storytelling around a fire, voices rising together. “That’s what we wanted to be a part of,” he says. And in choral music, transcendence is built into the experience; listeners often find their gaze drifting upward. Astra’s name captures that sense of lift, of connection, of shared wonder.
A Season of Stories
Astra Ensemble’s inaugural season begins with Constellations October 4 at Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church. The concert mirrors its title: a gathering of musical stars, varied and luminous. “It’s going to be kind of a choir potpourri,” Abernathy says. Renaissance madrigals, Dan Forrest, René Clausen, even a Dave Matthews Band cover—an accessible but artistically rich introduction to Astra’s range. “We want this to be very accessible music,” he says, “but performed in a way and at a quality that your most experienced arts‑goer will enjoy.”
The venue, Pine Ridge Presbyterian, offers abundant natural light and warm acoustics. Abernathy is enthusiastic. “I was really impressed with their space,” he says. “It’s beautiful, and it’s just a short drive for everyone.”
December brings A Colonial Christmas, a celebration of early American and European holiday music from the 15th through 18th centuries. Abernathy lights up when discussing this repertoire. “This is one of my favorite things to dive into,” he says. The program will include winter‑themed works and selections from The English Dancing Master, including Drive the Cold Winter Away. Performances take place December 18 at Visitation Catholic Church and December 19 at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral.
In May 2027, Astra turns inward with The Road Home, a meditation on what “home” means—place, person, memory, or even, as Abernathy notes with a smile, “my daughter’s stuffed animals.” The concept is intentionally flexible, designed to explore the emotional terrain of belonging.
A Pay‑What‑You‑Feel Philosophy
In keeping with its mission of openness, Astra offers its concerts free to the public, adopting a pay‑what‑you‑feel model. Donations are tax‑deductible, and RSVPs help the ensemble prepare—especially after running out of programs at their last concert. Tickets and donation information are available at astraensemble.com.
“We would be honored by anybody who’s willing to jump into these waters with us,” Abernathy says. “We’re building a new organization that we think and hope has lasting potential here in the metro.”
Astra Ensemble is new, but its mission is ancient: voices gathered, stories shared, eyes lifted toward the stars.
ASTRA ENSEMBLE • 2026-2027 SEASON
CONSTELLATIONS
3 PM October 4 at Pine Ridge Presbyterian, 7600 NW Barry Road
A COLONIAL CHRISTMAS
7:00 PM December 18 at Visitation Catholic Church, 5141 Main St.
7:00 PM December 19 at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W. 13th St.
THE ROAD HOME
Saturday May 15 & Sunday May 16 · venue to be announced