Month: July 2017

KCKCC vocal music wins two awards, performs with ‘Take 6’

KCKCC’s Vocal Jazz Choir “The Standard” in performance. (Photo from KCKCC)

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

The Kansas City Kansas Community College Choral Department is celebrating one of its most successful seasons in KCKCC history.

Following a performance at the American Choral Directors Association’s National Conference in March, KCKCC’s Vocal Jazz Choir “The Standard” had the opportunity to perform with Grammy Award winning Take 6 at Bethany College’s Messiah Festival of the Arts in Lindsborg, Kan.

Take 6 is an a cappella gospel music group, winning 10 Grammy Awards since 1988. In addition, they have collaborated with artists such as Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, Brian McKnight, CeCe Winans and Stevie Wonder, among others.

“It was such a pleasure to open for them,” said John Stafford, director of choral activities at KCKCC. “It was not only intimidating, but exciting. I have personally idolized these musicians for 20 years. Much of what I do today is because of that group. It was so nice to sit down, even for a short time, to chat with them.”

The concert, which was on the opening day of the festival, was on Palm Sunday. The festival features a performance of J.S. Bach’s “Passion According to St. Matthew” as well as G.F. Handel’s “Messiah” by the Bethany Oratorio Society, In addition, there are other recitals, concerts and exhibitions during the week-long event.

“We were asked to open the festival by the Director of Choral Activities (Mark Lucas) at Bethany College,” Stafford said. “It was really just like icing on the cake, after the year we have had.”

To finish the year, KCKCC received two awards from “Downbeat Magazine,” a first for the college. Downbeat, created in 1934, is devoted to jazz and blues music. It publishes articles and reviews in a monthly publication related to the music industry. Annually, the magazine presents Student Music Awards. This is the 40th year for the program.

KCKCC received two awards – Community College Outstanding Performance, awarded to “The Standard” Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Community College Outstanding Live Recording, awarded to Jordan Lankhorst, a 2017 KCKCC graduate in audio engineering and sound technician for KCKCC’s Vocal Jazz Program.

“This is by far the biggest awards we have ever received,” Stafford said. “It was a major goal for the program to receive awards like this from Downbeat Magazine. It established the program nationally, which is a really good feeling.”

Stafford attributes the program’s success this year to a “good core group of students.”

“The students in the program right now have a great attitude, and they want to perform good, difficult music. There is a level of commitment that the students have to the music and to each other,” he said. “I think everyone was amazed (at receiving the Downbeat Magazine Awards). This was a major accomplishment for our program.”

Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.

KCK student recognized as scholar-athlete at CMU

Hannah Clark

Central Methodist University student Hannah Clark, a communication studies major from Kansas City, Kan., was one of over 300 CMU student athletes recognized for athletic achievements during the 2016-2017 school year.

Central held its annual All-Sport Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 27, during which many of the student athletes were honored.

Clark lettered in women’s golf, was recognized as Women’s Golf Team Captain, and as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

CMU is a member of the Heart of America Athletic Association and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and offers 14 different athletic teams.

Founded in 1854, CMU offers master’s, bachelor’s and associate’s degrees through programming on its main campus in Fayette, Mo., and through extension sites and online.

Fatal accident closes K-7 at Parallel Parkway

Emergency vehicles responded to a four-vehicle accident at Parallel Parkway and K-7 today. A man died in the accident. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)
Officer Cameon Morgan, a police spokesman, said a man died in an accident this morning at Parallel Parkway and K-7. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

A fatal accident has closed northbound K-7 at Parallel Parkway, according to authorities.

Four vehicles were involved in a chain-reaction crash at the intersection, said Officer Cameron Morgan, a spokesman for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department. The accident happened about 10 a.m. Thursday.

A man who is believed to have been in his late 40s or early 50s died in the crash, he said. The victim was stopped in a brown sport utility vehicle, possibly a Hyundai, at the light, he said.

A Ford Explorer hit the brown SUV and sent it into a box truck, he said. Then the accident was pushed into a fourth car at the intersection.

Later, the victim was trapped in his brown sport utility vehicle, Morgan said. The identity of the victim is being withheld until positive identification and family notification.

The driver of the Ford Explorer was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to police. The two other drivers had minor injuries.

The vehicles were westbound on Parallel, stopped at the K-7 intersection, he said. The brown SUV was between a box truck and a Ford Explorer.

Morgan said at this time, the cause of the accident is not known. It is under investigation. The speed limit on Parallel before the stoplight is 45 mph.

According to KDOT, the intersection might be closed a total of four to six hours. Motorists on Parallel were being asked to stop and turn around a block or two east of the intersection. Traffic on northbound K-7 was being detoured to State Avenue eastbound.