The Youth Chorus of Kansas City will perform at Village Presbyterian Church on Feb. 21

Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village is beloved for its tremendous work taking care of the physical needs of the community. Whether it’s their community garden and food bank which feed the hungry, or their various fundraising efforts for worthwhile organizations that, for example, repair the homes of the needy, Village puts the Beatitudes into action.

But this remarkable congregation also doesn’t ignore the spiritual and aesthetic needs of the community. Village has one of the most outstanding music programs in the city. With a world-class organ and organist and a top-notch choir, the church performs superb, high quality music. But it also presents concerts, most of them free, and hosts some of Kansas City’s finest arts organizations, like the Kansas City Chorale and Bach Aria Soloists.

Village has just announced its 2025-2026 season, and it’s overflowing with music to appeal to any taste. For example, there’s the monthly 2nd Thursday Recital, a free opportunity to hear music during the lunch hour and recharge before returning to the daily grind.

“We present a short half hour recital, either in our large sanctuary or in our kind of smaller intimate chapel,” said Josh Maize, Village Presbyterian’s co-director of music “Depending on who the artist or performers might be, we rotate those spaces. It's a wonderful opportunity for folks to break up the middle of their day, and maybe spend their lunch break hearing some great music by local artists. When we plan those concerts, our hope is that we can provide a wide variety of styles and genres and and artists.”

Some of the artists on next season’s 2nd Thursday Recital series include La Gioia Wind Quintet Oct. 9, violist Christine Grossman Jan. 8 and organist Ann Marie Rigler, who will take the church’s magnificent organ out for a spin on March 12.

“On December 11, we've got the Kansas City guitar icon Beau Bledsoe performing along with cellist Ezgi Karakus,” Maize said. “She is phenomenal. They're both phenomenal musicians. I don't know their program quite yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if we get some Christmas music.”

La Gioia Wind Quintet

Christine Grossman

isaac cates and ordained perform feb. 16

Ann Marie Rigler

Beau Bledsoe and Ezgi Karakus

But then there are the concerts which Village itself is presenting, and they have really outdone themselves with variety, quality and abundance. Village Presbyterian is the home of the Kansas City Wind Symphony conducted by Langston Hemenway, and that fine ensemble has several concerts on the schedule next season, Oct. 5, Nov. 16, Feb. 7, March 15 and April 26.

“They always do such great repertoire for winds,” Maize said. “And Dr. Hemenway, their conductor, is just brilliant. He often speaks to the audiences during his concerts, and he's so insightful. It’s always good stuff, so you won't want to miss their concerts. And they’re free!”

The Kansas City Wind Symphony conducted by Langston Hemenway

Of course, choral music figures prominently on the season, especially the church’s own renowned Village Choir. It will take part in a concert with its sister group, the Antioch Choir, in a program Oct. 20 called Together We Sing. And the Village Chamber Choir will join the University of Missouri-Kansas City choirs and the Kansas City Civic Orchestra for Fauré’s lovely Requiem in a free performance at Helzberg Hall on April 26.

The world famous St. Olaf’s Choir will perform Feb. 1 and there will be a very special performance by the Youth Chorus of Kansas City Feb. 21. That concert is part of Village Arts Alliance, an umbrella program that originally included Te Deum, the Kansas City Wind Symphony and the Kansas City Baroque Consortium.

“I was sort of feeling like we needed some sort of children or youth component to that organization,” Maize said. “So we reached out to the Youth Chorus of Kansas City. They're a wonderful children's and youth-focused organization, supporting singers of elementary through high school age kids with several different ensembles. They're just doing great work and I've been really impressed by their leadership and their programming. Their concert in February is a great opportunity to come out and support the kids and see parents and volunteers kind of flooding the building. And it's just, it's really exciting to see that energy.”

Other unique and exciting concerts next season include lutanist Brian Bartling Sept. 12, the Greater KC Chapter of the American Guild of Organist along with Isaac Cates and Ordained in Concert, a program of gospel and classical Feb. 16 and the Percussive Art Ensemble Jan. 24.

“They're a new group, purely percussionists, and their leader is our former music coordinator, Theo Musick,” Maize said. He’s a percussionist for the Fountain City Brass Band and just a brilliant performer. He’s assembled a group of really talented percussionists and they present all kinds of really wonderful percussion literature. They performed last year and the chancel was just filled with every possible percussion instrument you can imagine, as well as some kind of unusual instruments. They had clay pots and they even had car tires and brakes.”

But there is one annual performance that for many people is the centerpiece of any Village Presbyterian season, and that is Tidings of Joy. This program of Christmas music and readings has become a beloved tradition for music lovers across the metro. This year is the 25th anniversary of Tidings and will feature choruses, soloists, orchestra and plenty of opportunities for the audience to sing along. There will be two performances at 3 and 6 p.m. Dec. 14. Tidings of Joy is always free, and both concerts are almost always standing room only.

tidings of joy at 3 and 6 p.m. dec. 14

Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. Ilona Kubiaczyk-Adler, organ (Sanctuary; free)

Sept. 11 at  12:15 p.m. (2nd Thursday Recital) Alison Borberg, vocalist and Joe Cartwright, piano (Sanctuary; free)

Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. Early Music Missouri presents: Brian Bartling, lute (Chapel; tickets at door)

Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Te Deum Chamber Choir presents: Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil (Sanctuary; ticketed)

Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Kansas City Wind Symphony (Sanctuary; free)

Oct. 9 at 12:15 p.m. (2nd Thursday Recital) La Gioia Wind Quintet (Chapel; free)

Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Village Choir and Antioch Choir present: Together, We Sing featuring Alice Parker’s Melodious Accord. (Sanctuary; free)

Nov. 13 at 12:15 p.m. (2nd Thursday Recital) Jessica Koebbe and Can Moretti, piano and violin (Chapel; free)

Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. Kansas City Wind Symphony (Sanctuary; free)

Dec. 8 at  7 p.m. Kicks Band Christmas Concert (Sanctuary; free)

Dec. 11 at 12:15 p.m. (2nd Thursday Recital) Beau Bledsoe, guitar and Ezgi Karakus, cello (Chapel; free)

Dec. 14 at 9 and 11 a.m. Morning Stars Kids present: The Nightshift Before Christmas Musical (Sanctuary; free)

Dec. 14 at 3 and 6 p.m. Tidings of Joy (Sanctuary; free)

Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Te Deum Chamber Choir presents: Carols of Olde (Sanctuary; ticketed)

Jan. 8 at 12:15 p.m. (2nd Thursday Recital) Christine Grossman, viola (Chapel; free)

Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Percussive Art Ensemble in Concert (Sanctuary; free)

Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. St. Olaf Choir in Concert (Sanctuary; free)

Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. Kansas City Wind Symphony Chamber Ensemble (Sanctuary; free)

Feb. 12 at 12:15 p.m. (2nd Thursday Recital) Bonny, soprano and Trent Green, tenor (Sanctuary; free)

Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. The Greater KC Chapter of the American Guild of Organist along with Isaac Cates and Ordained in Concert, a celebration of the organ (Sanctuary, free)

Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. Youth Chorus of Kansas City in Concert (Sanctuary; free)

March 12 at 12:15 p.m. (2nd Thursday Recital) Ann Marie Rigler, organ (Sanctuary; free)

March 13 at 7:30 p.m. Kansas City Chorale presents: Martin’s Mass for Double Choir and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms (Sanctuary; ticketed)

March 15 at 3 p.m. Kansas City Wind Symphony in Concert (Sanctuary; free)

April 9 at 12:15 p.m. (2nd Thursday Recital) – Sora Shepherd, piano (Sanctuary; free)

April 11 at 7:30 p.m. Bach Aria Soloists and Kansas City Actors Theater present world premiere of Our Favorite Things (Sanctuary; ticketed)

April 26 at 3 p.m. UMKC Choirs, Village Chamber Choir and Kansas City Civic Orchestra present Fauré’s Requiem (Helzberg Hall; free)

April 26 at 7 p.m. Kansas City Wind Symphony in Concert (Sanctuary; free)

May 14 at 12:15 p.m. (2nd Thursday Recital) Keith Benjamin, trumpet (Sanctuary; free)

May 23 at 7:30 p.m. Te Deum Chamber Choir presents: Remembrance and Comfort (Sanctuary; ticketed)