Missouri Classical Music News

The biggest news of the 100th anniversary celebration of the University of Missouri-Kansas City's conservatory came at the very end of the three-day extravaganza of concerts, receptions and tours.

On Saturday night outside the school's performing arts center, Dean Randy Pembrook announced that the conservatory had officially changed its name to reflect the new importance of dance.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver capped the news with a celebratory toast, after which a 15-minute fireworks display was accompanied by providential splashes of lightning over the university track field.

But the real meat of Saturday's events came in the Grand Finale Concert that preceded the announcement, in which student performers from the newly named UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance showed off an array of prodigious talents.