A Kansas City composer's tribute to Judy Garland is part concerto, part drag show

For a Judy Garland centennial tribute, Stacy Busch’s double concerto premieres with the Mid America Freedom Band and solos for two Kansas City drag queens.
Few performances are as iconic as Judy Garland’s Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” Garland, who died in 1969, would have turned 100 this year. To mark that occasion, Kansas City’s Mid America Freedom Band presents a tribute concert, which includes the premiere of a commissioned piece of music with a unique role for two particular soloists.

It’s no secret Garland struggled with addiction. So did her daughter, Liza Minnelli, who has been sober since 2015. That’s just one of the considerations Kansas City composer Stacy Busch had in mind when writing this new work, which is an homage to them both.