Shirley Bush Helzberg is serving as the honorary chairman of the Symphony Ball, which is hosted by the Symphony League of Kansas City. The September 9th event will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center. Julie McCann and Gina Penner are the co-chairmen. 

At the Kansas City Symphony, Shirley is chair emerita of the board of trustees, following a period of 18 years in which she served as the board’s president. She has enjoyed the tremendous growth in artistic leadership the Symphony has experienced during Maestro Michael Stern’s time as music director. Shirley delights in the concerts that benefit from the acoustics in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts – and readers of The Independent won’t be surprised to learn that she is a founding board member of the Center. Shirley is a past board member of the League of American Orchestras Board in New York and the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado. 

Shirley has been a guiding force in numerous organizations in Our Town. She was the chairman of the board of trustees of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art from 2013 until 2018, and has been an active board member there for 25 years. Shirley is a past chairman of Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and was the founding chairman of ArtsKC (formerly known as the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City). Her presence has graced many boards, and her commitment to the community and to philanthropy has enriched the cultural life of Kansas City. 

In 2000, Shirley was a co-founder of University Academy. It is a public charter school with students in kindergarten through 12th grade, with the goal of preparing young people for college. In 2005, University Academy opened its current headquarters, which includes facilities for a UMKC Dental Clinic and a Children’s Mercy Hospital Wellness Clinic, as well as classrooms. The University Academy Foundation, which facilitates educational programs and experiences for the Academy’s students and graduates, was created in 2010.

Shirley is an advocate for urban historic preservation. Among the buildings she has restored is the Shirley Bush Helzberg Symphony House (formerly the Webster School) in the Crossroads District, in addition to others in Downtown Kansas City. Shirley’s redevelopment projects have won awards at the county, city, and state levels. 

The theme of the Symphony Ball will be “Seasons,” and the Kansas City Symphony will perform. Maestro Michael Stern will be honored as he winds down his career with the Symphony.  

The Symphony League of Kansas City’s Symphony Ball, “Seasons,” will be held on September 9th at the Kansas City Convention Center.

Featured in the August 5, 2023 issue of The Independent.
Photo Credit: Rita Clark