Now through May 2026 | Ground Floor, Miller Nichols Library
Each spring UMKC Conservatory students perform 21st Century pieces from our Shining a Light collection. We’ve selected pieces from the composers represented at the Shining a Light Concert 2026 for you to enjoy.
The Shining a Light collection is a score initiative and website created by the UMKC Music/Media Library for works written in the 21st century by composers from underrepresented groups. The collection started with 55 scores and has grown to include over 1,100 works from over 250 composers with many different instrumentations. Materials in the collection are available for UMKC students to check out.
The website allows you to browse by composer, score, or conduct your own search. Composer profiles include bios and websites when available. Score profiles include program notes and recordings, and connect users to the library catalog where you can find materials available at the library. Explore the Shining a Light Collection for more scores.
Follow UMKC Music/Media Library on Facebook and Instagram to see more collection highlights.
Collection display curated by UMKC Music/Media Library Staff Melissa Allison and Bekah Walker and student assistant Quifan Chen. See below for a list of the resources selected for the display.
Books
- Chen Yi, Leta A.Miller and J. Michele Edwards, ML 410.C486 M55 2020
- Kaija Saariaho Pirkko Moisala ML 410.S114 M65 2009
CDs
- The music of Chen Yi. CD 2000:428
- Momentum; Chinese folk dance suite; Dunhuang fantasy; Romance and dance; Tu, Chen Yi. CD 2005:243
- Sculptures: concert in tribute to the art of Jun Kaneko, Andy Akiho CD 2024:1
- L’amour de loin, Kaija Saariaho. CD 2013:109 (disc 1 and 2)
- An American port of call, Adolphus Hailstork. CD 98:200
- Piano concerto; Celebration!, Adolphus Hailstork CD 2012:1221
- Orion, Kaija Saariaho CD 2006:241
- The Classical Underground Imani Winds CD 2023:4
DVD
- L’amour de Loin Kaija Saariaho M1500.S127 A46 2005
Scores
- Piano music, Larysa Kuzmenko M22.K89 2014
- Song of spring outing, Chen Yi. M25.C378 S66 2024
- Yuhwa: The Goddess of the Willow Trees, Adolphus Hailstork M62.H334 Y84 2020
- Impressions from the Chinese Zodiac, Chen Yi M107.C43 I67 2024
- Siciliana for solo English horn, Adolphus Hailstork M110.E5 H35 2024
- Rojo Tango, Valerie Coleman M289.C64 R64 2022
- Viaje, Zhou Tian. M319.Z56 V53 2017
- Seven Pillars, Andy AkihoM485.A45 P54 2021
- Umoja: the first day of Kwanzaa, Valerie Coleman. M557.C655 U5 2003
- Night-shining White, Zhou Tian. M557.4.Z656 N55 2019
- Revelry, Valerie Coleman M722.C65 R48 2025
- Portal, Andy Akiho. M986.A35 P6 2023
- Sculptures: Concert in Tribute to the Art of Jun Kaneko, Andy Akiho. M1003.A35 S418 2023(Oversize)
- Spring in Dresden, Chen Yi. M1013.C52 S67 2024
- Orion, Kaija Saariaho M1045.S2 O7 2004(Oversize)
- The Bones of Mr. Fortune: (Free at Last!), Adolphus Hailstork M1206.H25 B6 2024
- A crown for Sonia, Zhou Tian. M1621.3.Z46 C76 2024
Online Resources
Ebooks
- Classical Music: Contemporary Perspectives and Challenges, Michael Beckerman and Paul Boghossian, 2021.
- Expanding the Canon: Black Composers in the Music Theory Classroom, Melissa Hoag, 2022.
Naxos
- “Umoja” Convergence Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
- “Seven Pillars” Fear/Release University of Alabama Percussion Ensemble
- “In Memoriam to the Victims of Chornobyl” Northern Sirens, Christina Petrowska-Quilico
- Saariaho Notes on Light / Orion / Mirage, Christoph Eschenbach, Anssi Karttunen, Karita Mattila, Orchestre de Paris
- “Siciliana” English Horn Expressions, Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia
- Ba Yin (The Eight Sounds) Chen Yi, Prism Quartet, Conservatory Wind Symphony University of Missouri Kansas City
- “Concerto for Orchestra” Concertos for Orchestra Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
- “At the Kansas City Chinese New Year Concert” Life Music Vol. 2 Ying Quartet
Articles
- Defining Self: Adolphus Hailstork in Interview, Colin Clarke, Fanfare: The Magazine for Serious Record Collectors, 2013
- An Interview with Adolphus Hailstork, Gene Books, The Choral Journal, 1999
- Eight Sounds, Two Continents: an analysis of Ba Yin by Chen Yi, Isaac Brinbery, Journal of Band Research 2025
- Notes on Light: A Conversation with Kaija Saariaho, Robert Schulslaper, Fanfare: The Magazine for Serious Record Collectors 2008
Collection display curated by UMKC Music/Media Library Staff Melissa Allison and Bekah Walker and student assistant Quifan Chen
