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Nick May and Alex Siu Lun Li June 4 and June 30 at 6PM!
Come join us for an evening of beautiful music celebrating pride month! These concerts are provided free to the community (donations welcome), and we hope to see you all there!
Saxophonist NICK MAY is recognized as "a highly expressive, virtuosic, and fresh performer" (David Del Tredici, Pulitzer Prize and Grammy winner) whose artistry "knows no boundaries, neither technically nor emotionally" (AM:plified Magazine). Since making his solo debut at eighteen with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, he has established an international profile with performances across the United States, Singapore, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark, including multiple solo appearances at Carnegie Hall.
May is frequently featured as a soloist with orchestras and contemporary-music ensembles, among them the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra, Arapahoe Philharmonic Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Tallgrass Chamber Choir, the University of Iowa Center for New Music Ensemble, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. His collaborations span many of today's leading and emerging composers—Jennifer Higdon, Kevin Day, Rex Isenberg, Ingrid Stölzel, Spencer Arias, Stuart Beatch, and Iván Enrique Rodríguez among them—resulting in numerous premieres and a growing catalog of works written for him, underscoring his deep commitment to expanding the expressive and artistic potential of the saxophone.
A committed chamber musician, May is a founding member of Latitude 39, a trio with violinist Diana Seitz and pianist Maya Tuylieva dedicated to programming that bridges Turkmen, Ukrainian, and Azerbaijani traditions with contemporary repertoire. Their upcoming releases on Navona Records further expand the ensemble's presence in the global new-music landscape.
May's critically acclaimed discography includes releases on Neuma and Albany Records, with forthcoming recordings as a featured soloist with conductor Dr. Todd Nichols and the Eastern Wind Symphony (Mark Custom Records). His debut album, Tone Studies: The Saxophone Music of David Maslanka, helped establish his reputation as an interpreter of major contemporary works. Additional appearances include The Chamber Music of David von Kampen and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Jazz Orchestra's The Good Life.
As the founder of the I Exist Project, May leads an innovative artistic initiative that celebrates queer life, culture, and creativity through performance, collaboration, and the commissioning of new repertoire. His recently released album You, Me, Us, in collaboration with pianist Alex Siu Lun Li, was praised by AM:plified Magazine for its "dialogue about visibility... music that fights, heals, and celebrates," affirming his role as an artist whose work blends activism with musical expression. His advocacy-driven collaborations extend to leading queer cultural institutions — including NoDivide KC, LA Pride, and the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, among others — as well as to upcoming work honoring the legacy of icons Harvey Milk, Julian Eltinge, and Billy Strayhorn, reflecting a commitment to community impact, representation, and creative partnership at a national level.
A sought-after educator, May has given masterclasses, performances, and residencies at major conservatories and universities including the Manhattan School of Music, the Peabody Institute, Harvard University, UC Davis, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Denison University, the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and the University of Oklahoma, among numerous others. His teaching and lecturing cover performance, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and LGBTQ studies. He holds degrees from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (B.M.) and the University of Kansas (M.M.).
Nick May is an endorsing artist for Key Leaves and Légère Reeds and performs on Yanagisawa saxophones.
www.nickmaysax.com
Born and raised in Hong Kong, pianist ALEX SIU LUN LI is based in Kansas City, where he combines different music and presentation media to connect composers with audiences. Alex holds two Master's degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one in solo piano and one in collaborative piano. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Piano Performance at UMKC.
As a collaborative pianist, Alex frequently coaches and performs with singers and instrumentalists both in and out of conservatories settings. Recent projects include the I Exist Project with saxophonist Nick May, bringing music by LGBTQ+ composers to more than 20 universities and conservatories around the United States, including the Manhattan School of Music and Peabody Institute.
In addition to piano, Alex also plays the harpsichord and the organ. Beyond music, Alex enjoys Mathematics, sudokus, coding, crafting, designing, writing, teaching and learning languages.
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Event Venue
201 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO, United States, Missouri 64111
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
