About

The Northland Symphony Orchestra Association commits to fostering a welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environment for performers and community members through opportunities to perform and enjoy music. 

• Welcoming:  Creating places of belonging centered around performing arts and community.
• Accessible:  Providing free concert experiences in accessible venues and affordable educational opportunities. 
• Inclusive:  All people are welcome regardless of race, gender, economic status

In our community: The Northland Symphony Orchestra Association (NSOA) is an active participant in the Kansas City North Community, fully committed to leading by example in supporting and serving individuals of all backgrounds.

Our Board of Directors is committed to building an organization that fosters equity, diversity, and inclusion. We believe music can be created by all and enjoyed by all, regardless of background or status, as it is enriched by embracing various cultures and influences. We will continue to explore ways to reflect inclusion and curiosity in our programming and organization. The Northland Symphony Orchestra Association aims to uphold the deeper values of collaboration, empathy, compassion, and grace.

Using music to build bridges: We commit to inviting our diverse community into an active dialogue to learn and grow, making the Symphony a place where everyone feels invited and accepted, and can participate. We will strive to have our board, staff, and volunteer base work for greater inclusiveness in ethnic and cultural background, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, ability, education, and religion, reflecting the rich diversity of our Northland community. NSOA strives to explore the textures and rhythms found in the music of all cultures and raise up new and diverse voices.

Progress in diversifying:

A core value of the Northland Symphony Orchestra Association is to provide a welcoming, accessible and inclusive environment for all our musicians, audience and volunteers. In April 2024, we approved a charter expressing our commitment to lead by example in supporting and serving individuals of all backgrounds. Our Board is committed to building an organization that fosters equity, diversity and inclusion. We commit to inviting our diverse community into a dialogue to learn and grow, making the Symphony a place where everyone feels invited, accepted and encouraged to participate.

We continue to work for greater inclusiveness in ethnic and cultural background, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, ability, education and religion, reflecting the rich diversity of our Northland community. Our Board includes both men and women, representing White, African American, Filipino and Persian members. Our featured solo performers this year include superb Asian musicians.

We utilize data and feedback from sources such as musicians, students and the community to inform ongoing courses of action. We will always provide access to the Symphony at no cost, allowing us to serve every member of our community. We also provide scholarships and a low tuition for student musicians to have access to continue their musical education with us, regardless of ability to pay.

In March 2025, our Board endorsed an executive action plan for the Welcoming, Accessibility and Inclusion Initiative:

Welcoming:  Greeters available to direct patrons attending concerts. Increased marketing and fundraising events to raise organization awareness.
Accessible:  Providing concerts free of charge to all ensures there is not a financial barrier to our arts contributions. Venues are accessible and free parking. Our youth auditions accept online submissions, which equalizes accessibility around geography and transportation.
Inclusive:  All are welcome, no formal dress code. Multiple youth ensembles cater to different skill levels. Blind auditions in our youth groups, removing bias around race, gender or socio-economic status.
We plan to review this initiative twice annually, for engagement and implementation. 

In Summer 2025, we began a strategic planning process. One of our priorities is community outreach and access expansion. This would involve nurturing active partnerships, expanding our scholarship program and providing meaningful outreach to underrepresented populations.