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Missouri Philharmonic will charge admission to its next concert — but offers free access to dress rehearsal

Logo courtesy Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra

Trying to sustain the orchestra on donations alone has become too difficult, says Music Director Amy Andreassen, so the orchestra will charge admission at their next concert. But they are also converting their dress rehearsal the night before into a free public performance.

The Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Music Director Amy Andreassen, is made up of professional, amateur and student musicians from throughout the region.

The orchestra's 2023-24 season begins next week with a program including Johann Strauss I's "Radetzky March," Mozart's "Symphony No. 40," and the "Gran Duo" for violin and double bass by Bottesini.

Until this season, the orchestra has subsisted entirely on donations, offering concerts free of charge. After attaining full 501(c)(3) status, Amy Andreassen says the orchestra needs to start charging admission to their main concerts: $10 for adults and seniors; $5 for students; children 12 and under admitted free.

However, Andreassen says she and the orchestra are sensitive to the needs of seniors, those on fixed incomes, as well as people with young children and neurodiverse persons. So the MPO is converting its dress rehearsal the night before the regular concert into a free public performance.

The free "dress rehearsal" evening takes place 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 23; the regular ticketed concert is 7:30 p.m. Thursday, August 24, with cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. The location for both is The Barley House at Moontown Crossing, 3060 North Kentwood Avenue, near the Glenstone Avenue/I-44 interchange in north Springfield.

For more information, visit missouriphilharmonic.org/events or call 417-849-5930.

Randy Stewart joined the full-time KSMU staff in June 1978 after working part-time as a student announcer/producer for two years. His job has evolved from Music Director in the early days to encompassing production of a wide range of arts-related programming and features for KSMU, including the online and Friday morning Arts News. Stewart assists volunteer producers John Darkhorse (Route 66 Blues Express), Lee Worman (The Gold Ring), and Emily Higgins (The Mulberry Tree) with the production of their programs. He's also become the de facto "Voice of KSMU" in recent years due to the many hours per day he’s heard doing local station breaks. Stewart’s record of service on behalf of the Springfield arts community earned him the Springfield Regional Arts Council's Ozzie Award in 2006.