Conductor Steven D. Davis is a lauded, versatile, and cosmopolitan conductor who has inspired ensembles around the world. In constant demand as a guest conductor, he has conducted across four continents, working with ensembles in cities such as Bangkok, Beijing, Lisbon, Sydney, and regularly conducts in his favorite city, Kansas City.

Davis has worked to break down barriers as a conductor by leading performances across many genres. He has been celebrated as a conductor of wind ensembles, orchestras, opera, ballet, and cutting edge new music ensembles. In addition to conducting symphonic repertoire of historically significant composers, such as Beethoven, Berg, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky, Davis is fervently committed to performing new repertoire. This commitment has been praised by prominent contemporary composers including Robert Beaser, Chen Yi,  John Corigliano, Michael Daugherty, Osvaldo Golijov, Stephen Hartke, David Lang, James Mobberley, Narong Prangcharoen, Bernard Rands, Paul Rudy, Steven Stucky, Frank Ticheli and Zhou Long.

Davis currently serves as professor of conducting, and conductor of the Conservatory Wind Symphony at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. As conductor of the UMKC Conservatory Wind Symphony, he has initiated countless collaborations with other artists and genres, including dance, theater, visual art, and film. Numerous world premieres have been dedicated to the ensemble during his tenure as artistic director.

Davis is a proud advocate for artistic music education and has been a guest lecturer, conductor, and clinician at numerous music and music education conferences across the world.  Most notably, he has performed at five Midwest Clinics in Chicago, and has led a myriad of All-State ensembles across the United States. His most recent guest conducting and teaching engagements include the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Beijing Modern Music Festival, and the Texas All-State Symphonic Band.  Davis also serves on the Orchestra and Wind Ensemble conducting faculty of the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.

Davis is now in his sixteenth season as the conductor of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City’s Symphony Orchestra. Under his direction, the Symphony Orchestra has performed at the Kansas and Missouri Music Educators Conferences, the Midwest Clinic and on its 2016 Ireland Tour. Davis is also the resident conductor of newEar, Kansas City’s premier new music ensemble. Annually, he hosts the Kansas City Conducting Symposium, one of the largest conducting symposiums in the country.  He has received many awards and honorary memberships in professional organizations.

Russ Pieken
Youth Symphony Director of Operations
Academy Orchestra Conductor

Russ Pieken has been a music educator for 25 years in Kansas and Missouri. During this time, he taught strings/orchestra at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Russ has been privileged and honored to have conducted performances in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and for the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.  Groups under his direction have also performed for the Kansas Music Educators Association Conference and National Association for Music Education. In 2008 he was awarded the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts/National Symphony Orchestra National Music Educator Fellowship.  He is also a football fanatic!  His blood runs red through and through…go Chiefs and Huskers!  When he isn’t on the podium for YSKC or marking bowings, dynamics or phrasings you will find him at Arrowhead volunteering and cheering on THE CHIEFS!  In 2021 he was cited as a Volunteer of the Year by the Kansas City Chiefs ownership.  Russ and his wife Laurie live in De Soto, KS.  Their amazing, kind and adventurous children Joe and Norah are living the life working in such amazing places as Vermont, Colorado and California.

Michelle Davis has been a string orchestra educator for 30 years in Illinois, Michigan and Missouri. She has taught strings/orchestra at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Currently, she is the conductor of the Liberty High School Orchestras in Liberty, Missouri. In addition, she teaches private lessons to aspiring violin and viola students. Previously, she taught beginning strings and junior high orchestra in Oak Park, Illinois, and middle school orchestra in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She just finished a two-year tenure as Orchestra Vice President of the Missouri Music Educators’ Association.

Michelle has been a guest conductor in school districts across the state, and has presented clinics at state and national conferences, including The Michigan Music Educators’ Conference and The American String Teachers’ National Conference. In 2008, she was Liberty Public School District’s “Teacher of the Year.” Michelle is a graduate of The University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in viola performance and a master’s degree in music education. She is a member of The Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and American String Teachers’ Association (ASTA). She lives with her husband, Steve Davis, and her two goldendoodles, Maddy and Henry.

Artistic Staff Contact

Symphony Orchestra
Steven D. Davis
sdavis@youthsymphonykc.org

Academy Orchestra
Russ Pieken
rpieken@youthsymphonykc.org

Philharmonic Orchestra
Michelle Davis
mdavis@youthsymphonykc.org

Amanda Kremer
amanda@youthsymphonykc.org

Debut Orchestra
Sheri Cain
scain@youthsymphonykc.org