As Music Director of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra has earned praise by critics for his “sensitive and lyrical” conducting. Paul Horsley of the Kansas City Star said “To hold together a performance like this and make it fun for performers and listeners is a rare gift.”
Mr. Anderson is the founder and conductor of the Kansas City Puccini Festival. Now in its eighth year, this all-volunteer festival draws musicians from several states to rehearse and perform a Puccini opera in concert. In December of 2005 the Kansas City Star listed the Kansas City Puccini Festival’s performance of Turandot as one of the “top 15 classical music and dance events in 2005.” The festival will celebrate its ninth season in 2008 with La Rondine.
Mr. Anderson is the Artistic Director of the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City. Recent productions with Civic Opera include The Mikado, Weill’s Street Scene, Verdi’s Falstaff, Sondheim’s Passion, A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol, and Puccini’s Edgar. Current productions include Menotti’s The Medium and the world premiere of Everlasting Universe by John Mueter. Future productions will include Rorem’s Our Town.
Recent performance highlights have included a debut with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City leading Il barbiere di Siviglia, the North American premier of The Queen Symphony by Tolga Kashif and Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, La bohème with Rimrock Opera (Billings Montana) and Handel’s Messiah with the St. Joseph Symphony (MO). Mr. Anderson was recently appointed to the newly created post of assistant conductor for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. As a cover conductor, Mr. Anderson has conducted the Kansas City Symphony.
Upcoming performance highlights include La Fanciulla del West with Rimrock Opera (Billings Montana) and Britten’s War Requiem with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra.
Mr. Anderson's other opera credits include Madama Butterfly, Le nozze di Figaro, Manon Lescaut, Edgar, La traviata, Tosca, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, Ariadne auf Naxos, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Il tabarro, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Amahl and the Night Visitors and La bohéme.
Mr. Anderson completed course work for a Doctorate degree and earned a Masters of Music in orchestral conducting at the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory of Music under the direction of Dr. Robert Olson. While at the Conservatory of Music UMKC, Mr. Anderson held the opera conducting assistantship for four years. 2007 marks Anderson's ninth year as the assistant conductor of the Colorado MahlerFest in Boulder, Colorado and he held the same post for three seasons with the Kansas City Ballet. In May 2000 Mr. Anderson was given the prestigious Muriel McBrien Kauffman Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award by the Conservatory of Music at UMKC. In August of that same year Anderson joined the Production staff of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Prior to coming to Kansas City, Mr. Anderson was the assistant conductor of the Natchitoches – Northwestern Symphony Orchestra in his home state of Louisiana.
Mr. Anderson is represented by Ovation! Management, Chicago, IL.
