KEN MITCHELL

Originally from Commack, New York, Ken Mitchell joined the Kansas City Philharmonic in 1980 and was a charter member of the Kansas City Symphony, retiring in 2013.  For two seasons prior to coming to Kansas City, Ken was principal bass of the Evansville Philharmonic in Evansville, Indiana.  

He holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in music performance from Indiana University and a Master of Science and a Ph.D. degree in computer networking from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His teachers include Marvin Lewis of Port Jefferson N.Y., Murray Grodner and Barry Green at Indiana University, and Ludwig Streicher at the Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria. While in Vienna, Ken was the bassist for the Jeunesse Chamber Orchestra. Ken held the position of Adjunct Assistant Professor at the UMKC Conservatory of Music from 1988 to 1999 and also taught at Park University. He has played in the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Colorado Music Festival, and was principal bass of the Des Moines Metro Opera for 12 summers. He has been the bassist for the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra since 1988 and has performed with many local groups.