Sunflower Music Festival Returns June 19-27 with Nine Free Concerts Featuring Orchestra, Chamber Music and Jazz

Topeka, Kan. - Orchestra, chamber music and jazz will once again fill White Concert Hall on the Washburn University campus June 19-27 as internationally renowned musicians gather in Topeka for the annual Sunflower Music Festival. All performances are free and open to the public.

"The Sunflower Music Festival brings some of the world's best musicians to the Midwest each year," said Charles Stegeman, concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Andrea Bocelli's West Coast tours, and concertmaster and artistic director of the Sunflower Music Festival. "It's a one-of-a-kind experience and a gift of love to music lovers across northeast Kansas. We love our craft, sharing it with audiences and teaching the next generation through the Blanche Bryden Institute. The festival also gives us, as artists, a unique opportunity to collaborate."

Learn more about the Sunflower Music Festival by visiting their website, sunflowermusicfestival.org.

2026 Program

7:30 p.m. Friday, June 19, White Concert Hall

Opening Celebration - Chamber Orchestra

Guest conductor Antony Walker will lead opening night performances of works by Bach, Grieg and Haydn, including "Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major, BWV 1046" by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16" by Edvard Grieg featuring a solo by Cynthia Raim, piano, and "Symphony No. 104 in D Major ('London')" by Franz Joseph Haydn.

7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 20, White Concert Hall

Chamber Ensembles

Saturday's program features chamber ensembles performing "Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano FP 43" by Francis Poulenc, "String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No. 5" by Ludwig van Beethoven and "Horn Trio in E-flat major, Op. 40" by Johannes Brahms.

7:30 p.m. Monday, June 22, White Concert Hall

Jazz Night - Kansas City Jazz Orchestra presents "Songs in the Key of KC"

The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra will explore the legacy and evolution of Kansas City jazz. From Bennie Moten through Count Basie and Bobby Watson, nothing swings like KC.

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, White Concert Hall

Chamber Ensembles

Tuesday offers another opportunity to enjoy chamber ensembles, including "Divertimento in E-flat major, K. 252/240a" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "String Quartet in C Major, Op. 76, No. 3 ('Emperor')" by Franz Joseph Haydn, "Serenade in C Major for String Trio, Op. 10" by Erno Dohnanyi and "String Sextet in A Major, Op. 48, B. 80" by Antonín Dvořák.

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, White Concert Hall

Chamber Orchestra

Guest conductor Antony Walker will lead the orchestra as it performs "Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047" by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat Major, K. 495" featuring a solo by James Thatcher, horn, and "Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 25, White Concert Hall

Blanche Bryden Performance - Collegiate Strings

The evening opens with a performance of "String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18, No. 2" by Ludwig van Beethoven. Students Nathan Thomeer, violin; Josef Mueller, violin; Krystian Pawlow, viola; and Evan Ream, cello, will perform "String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80" by Felix Mendelssohn. Thomeer, Mueller, Pawlow and Ream will be joined by Grace Nieh, piano, to perform "Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81" by Antonín Dvořák to conclude the evening.

7:30 p.m. Friday, June 26, White Concert Hall

Chamber Ensembles

The chamber ensembles will conclude their festival performances with "Sonata IV in D Minor" and "Sonata III in D Major" by Georg Frederic Telemann, "Woodwind Quintet No. 1" by Jean Françaix and "Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 14" by César Franck.

3 p.m. Saturday, June 27, White Concert Hall

Blanche Bryden Performance - High School Student Ensembles, followed by a reception in the lobby

Held annually since 1993, the Sunflower Music Festival Blanche Bryden Chamber Music Institute brings together professional orchestra musicians and Washburn University faculty to teach students throughout the week. This year, the institute runs June 21-27. Participating students are selected through auditions submitted online to form chamber ensembles: string quartets and woodwind quintets. These students participate in master classes, independent study, group rehearsals, observe festival rehearsals and interact with professional musicians throughout the week. Their experience culminates in a concert at the end of the week that is open to the community.

7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27, White Concert Hall

Festival Finale: Chamber Orchestra

Guest conductor Antony Walker will lead the festival's final program, featuring works by Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, including "Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048" by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart featuring a solo by Jonathan Gunn, clarinet, and "Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92" by Ludwig van Beethoven.

2026 Featured Artist, Silent Auction and T-Shirt Sales

As a tribute to its name and Kansas roots, the Sunflower Music Festival features sunflower-themed artwork each year. This year's featured artist is local artist Kim Scott, whose original sunflower design is a painting on silk.

To help keep the festival free, the Sunflower Music Festival board hosts a silent auction and T-shirt sales throughout the festival. Visit sunflowermusicfestival.org to view the artwork and learn more about Scott.

The silent auction winner will be announced after intermission at the last concert.

Enduring Legacy and Support

Major sponsors make free admission to the Sunflower Music Festival possible. Those sponsors include Washburn University and Blanche Bryden Foundation.

"The Sunflower Music Festival began with a conversation in 1987 between Russell Patterson, then conductor of the Kansas City Lyric Opera, our spouses and me about bringing world-class music to the Midwest," said Stegeman. "Thirty-nine years later, the festival remains true to that vision by presenting an annual series of free concerts each June and making exceptional music accessible to all."

For further information, contact:
Lacey Kinder
Content Specialist
Telephone: (785) 670-2154
Cell: (785) 845-1909
Email: [email protected]