The Art of Improvisation with UMKC Conservatory IMP Ensemble

Abstract shapes and colors

“IMP is a think-tank of people willing to risk and fail quickly, so a show can go on, using any new individual media to explore the boundaries of the medium and improvisation.”

UMKC Course Catalog

IMP (Improvisational Music/Media Performance) Ensemble is a group of musicians who hold improvisation and critical listening at the heart of their work.

This year’s IMP Ensemble has 7 members, directed by Kwan Leung Ling.

  • Kwan Leung Ling: suona (Chinese double reed instrument)
  • Brandon Cooper: percussion & electronics,
  • Jacob Souders: electric guitar
  • Sean Smith: tenor saxophone
  • Audrey Watson: flute & electronics
  • Yiqi Xue: piano
  • Mo You: clarinet

Learn about the practice of improvisatory music, its history and proliferation around the world, as well as its role in classical, traditional, and popular music with the collection display in the UMKC Music/Media Library. 

Enjoy a performance of IMP Ensemble on Friday, November 19, 2021 7:30 p.m. in the 1st Floor lobby of the Miller Nichols Learning Center. The performance will be live-streamed on the IMP Ensemble Facebook page

Book display with scores and texts.
Books, scores, DVDs and CDs from the UMKC Music/Media Library collection featuring improvised music, laid out on a table

This display was curated by UMKC Music/Media Library student monitors Audrey Watson and Kwan Leung Ling, with assistance from Daniel Nace and UMKC Music/Media Library staff. 

Click the button below to access the resource list. 

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