June 11, 2026
This week we celebrate Tony DiPardo Day with our speaker Alyssa Bell Jackson, Executive Director of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra
Alyssa Bell Jackson is an American violist, arts leader, and music advocate based in the Kansas City area. With a career that bridges performance, education, and nonprofit leadership, she is deeply committed to expanding access to music while championing Kansas City’s rich and evolving musical culture.
Alyssa currently serves as Executive Director of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, where she leads the organization’s fundraising, operations, and long-term strategy. She oversees institutional growth, financial sustainability, and cross-sector partnerships, while working closely with musicians and artistic leadership to shape creative vision into organizational priorities. In collaboration with board members, donors, and community partners, she advances KCJO’s mission and expands its impact locally and nationally.
As a performer, Alyssa has appeared with the Kansas City Symphony, numerous regional orchestras, and touring artists including The Eagles, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Michael Bublé, Lindsey Stirling, Josh Groban, and Rod Stewart. She has also recorded with artists such as Boyz II Men, The Freedom Affair, and The Project H, and continues to work as a versatile freelance musician across classical, jazz, pop, and commercial genres.
A dedicated educator, Alyssa has taught private violin and viola since 2009 and co-founded Soundwave Music Academy in 2019, an enrichment program emphasizing chamber music training and music theory. She has served as Adjunct Professor of Violin and Viola at Northwest Missouri State University and William Jewell College, and remains passionate about mentoring young musicians and fostering inclusive music education.
Alyssa earned her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance and her Master of Music in Viola Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Victoria Chiang. While in Baltimore, she worked with the Baltimore Symphony, OrchKids, Occasional Symphony, and Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and attended the Aspen Music Festival for orchestral studies. Her additional training includes chamber music and masterclasses at the Heartland Music Academy and the Orford Centre d’Arts, where she studied with Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot.
In addition to her leadership and collaborative work, Alyssa is a founding member of the Fountain City String Quartet who performs regularly in Kansas City and the surrounding region, and continues to develop her voice as a writer and arranger for string ensembles and cross-genre projects.
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@rotaryclub13
Rotary Club of Kansas City
