The health of a community’s performing arts scene is measured not only by the vigor of its large organizations, but by the constant proliferation of smaller groups that fill out the landscape with fresh voices and provocative ideas. The first quarter of the 21st century has seen a remarkable flourishing of new choirs, chamber ensembles, dance groups, and theater and opera companies in Kansas City — a few of which have fallen by the wayside but most of which have found a lasting niche, thanks to the grit and determination of their founders. 

One of the more remarkable among these is NAVO Arts, which this season has reached a milestone that many new groups clamor toward: its 10th anniversary season. 

NAVO was formed in 2015, partly in response to the steady erosion of government support for the arts by the State of Kansas starting in 2011. But the group also sought to fill an elusive niche in the Kansas City region by presenting a wide variety of challenging masterpieces in music, dance, and even chamber opera, all under one forward-thinking artistic umbrella. In addition, the goal was to push for substantial support of living composers and creators. 

In its first two seasons NAVO (whose name derives from the Indo-Persian and Uzbek root word nav meaning new and music or melody) performed works by Brahms, Boulez, and Lutosławski, as well as daunting monuments such as Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale and Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire and Transfigured Night. 

“The idea was to give music and arts to the community and give it in a way that doesn’t cost them a lot — so that whole families can come and enjoy,” said founding co-director Shah Sadikov, alluding to NAVO’s determination (heretofore at least) to present its concerts free of charge thanks largely to its principal donor, Jim Zakoura, under whose non profit (Reach Out Kansas) NAVO operates. 

Shah and his wife, Co-founder and Co-artistic Director Véronique Mathieu, had no idea how long the series might last, but they felt they had established a strong mission, which has remained unchanged: “To bring world-class music-making to underserved communities,” as Shah said, “and to give opportunities to families that they might not otherwise have to hear great music.” (An additional goal is to provide a platform for internationally acclaimed artists who have chosen Kansas City as home.)

Shah is a renowned violist and teacher who began his studies at Park University and is pursuing a doctorate in conducting at The Peabody Institute. Véronique is an internationally celebrated violinist and string professor at University of Saskatchewan. 

Reaching the 10-year mark is “exciting,” Véronique said, adding that although no timeline had been set early on, “we imagined that over time, the scope of the organization would grow, and we would be able to present bigger programs, do more touring, and increase our reach as a non-profit organization.” 

That is exactly what has happened: The 10th anniversary season presents the most ambitious lineup of international artists and large-scale works in NAVO’s history. 

The opening concert (September 20th), a collaboration with Park University’s International Center for Music, presents the NAVO and ICM orchestras led by Shah and highlighting a local superstar: Kansas City-based Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor. 

Following this is a program devoted to NAVO’s composer in residence, Ingrid Stölzel (October 12th), which includes a world premiere of her Three Silent Things. The series concludes with a three-concert Season Finale Fest with Maria Ioudenitch (May 7th through the 11th) with the Berlin-based violinist who grew up in Kansas City and is the daughter of pianist and educator Tatiana Ioudenitch and Park ICM Artistic Director Stanislav Ioudenitch. 

The season also offers an April concert presented by a string quartet formed of Véronique, Shah, and NAVO participants Destiny and Michael Mermagen: who will play for the first time under a new name: the Frontier Quartet. 

The group presents music by Sri Lankan-born composer Dinuk Wijeratne and excerpts from The Named Angels, a sensational new work by Mohammed Fairouz: one of the red-hot members of the young generation of American composers. 

Cellist Sunnat Ibragimov, an artistic advisor to the series and cellist with the Seattle Symphony, has organized Thanksgiving with NAVO on November 30th and The Art of the Cello with Daniel Veis on March 22nd. The latter honors Park University’s renowned cello professor with an array of works performed by his students past and present. Neoclassical Fervor (February 22nd) features monuments by Ravel, Stravinsky, and Shostakovich, including the latter’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Steven Spooner. 

An entire program of the music of Ingrid Stölzel, an internationally lauded German-born composer with long ties to Kansas City, is both a treat and an illustration of NAVO’s devotion to living composers: especially to those residing in our midst. 

“Véronique and Shah’s dedication to supporting my music, through their commissions and performances, has been both personally and professionally enriching,” said Ingrid, who is also an associate professor of composition at The University of Kansas. 

The final coup de grace in the lineup is a three-concert festival featuring Maria, a violinist who is garnering increasingly fervent international acclaim. In 2021 alone, Maria took home the top prizes in three of Europe’s most prestigious violin competitions: the Ysaÿe Competition, the Tibor Varga Violin Competition, and the Joseph Joachim International Competition.

“Since the Romantic period, the relationship between composers and performers … has been essential for the creation, interpretation, and popularization of new works,” she added. “This still holds true today.” For her feature concert, Ingrid said she wanted to “showcase pieces from various decades with a variety of chamber-music settings, including the voice.”

On May 7th, Maria will perform a solo recital with her dad, “Stas,” and on May 9th she plays chamber music with several NAVO friends. Then on May 11th, Shah and Maria join in an orchestra concert that includes Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and works by living composers Jessie Montgomery and Gabriela Lena Frank.

The anniversary season is focused on “celebrating and expressing love for Kansas City,” Shah said. “Maria is from Kansas City, Behzod is from Kansas City. I consider myself to be from Kansas City, and Daniel is a part of Kansas City.” (Moreover, Sunnat studied at Park, Véronique and Steven Spooner are both former KU professors, and Michael Mermagen is on the faculty of The UMKC Conservatory.) 

“NAVO has carved out a significant niche in the musical landscape of the Kansas City/Lawrence region,” Ingrid said, “and I believe that this 10-year anniversary celebration will serve as a launchpad for the next 10 years of artistic excellence.” 

—Paul Horsley

For more information about the organization, go to navoarts.com. To reach Paul Horsley, performing arts editor, send an email to paul@kcindependent.com or find him on Facebook (paul.horsley.501) or Twitter/Instagram (@phorsleycritic).