Westwood Ensemble is presently a full orchestra of more than 30 musicians and is continually growing. The ensemble is unique in two regards:

  1. We play literature rarely performed by other ensembles
  2. The group is comprised of: youth, adult amateurs, and top professional players.

The professionals aid in working with the ensemble members. Many of the members are present or past students of these professionals. There is a $20 audition fee but no other membership fees to play.

Westwood Ensemble gets its name from the location where we rehearse. We initially rehearsed at the City Hall of Westwood, Kansas. Westwood is a diverse community in the northeast corner of Johnson County. Its boundaries include State Line and County Line roads, situated just west of Kansas City, Missouri’s Country Club Plaza.

Westwood Ensemble is a diverse, 21st-century ensemble with a presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Live concerts are planned for approximately one hour in length without intermissions or printed programs. Audience members are encouraged to use their smartphones and follow the program on our website during the performance. The Conductor interacts with the audience and shares information about the music throughout the program. Concerts are free, informal and designed for all ages.

Traditional string orchestra literature is the core of what we perform. However, our programs offer musical variety: J.S. Bach, The Beatles, Vivaldi, Jimi Hendrix, Mozart, Astor Piazzolla, Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Elgar, Bernard Hermann, Franz Liszt, and Verdi have been programmed. During our previous seasons, professional soloists have been featured playing a wide variety of instruments. Season four is already in the works and will feature literature from great cities around the world.

We invite you to join us in the audience at our concerts. Contact us if you’re interested in performing with us, and check out our testimonials page to see why our musicians play with WE. Please feel free to donate and help us spread the power of music making among our community!