Elena Lence Talley, Principal
B.M.E., M.M. University of North Texas

Member of the Orchestra Since 1992

Elena Lence has been Principal Music Librarian of the Kansas City Symphony since 1992 and resides in Lenexa, Kansas with her husband, Doug, and daughters, Cecilia and Julia. Talley wrote a series of behind-the-scenes articles (covering topics from the role of the concertmaster to the percussion section to composers' catalogues) for the Kansas City Symphony program book from the 2003-04 season through the 2006-07 season. A member of the Policy Committee of the Major Orchestra Librarians' Association, Talley will be a panelist at the 2009 MOLA conference in Washington, D.C. She is also the music librarian for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

Talley is a graduate of the University of North Texas (bachelor of music education and master of clarinet performance, summa cum laude), where she studied with Dr. James Gillespie. She has also studied with Anthony Crisanti (Fort Worth Symphony), George Silfies (Saint Louis Symphony) and Charlene Zimmerman (Grant Park Symphony). In addition to her music library duties, Talley performs as an extra and substitute with the Kansas City Symphony, as well as with the Mariah Wind Trio (clarinet, flute and bassoon) and the Lyric Arts Trio (clarinet, soprano voice and piano). The Lyric Arts Trio is a member of the Kansas Arts Commission Touring Program and the Heartland Arts Fund of the Mid-America Arts Alliance, and has performed throughout the Midwest for over 15 years. The Lyric Arts Trio has received awards from the American Composers' Forum for their performances of contemporary music, and has commissioned a number of new works.

Talley was the Membership Coordinator of the International Clarinet Association for 10 years, and she is the author of several cover stories for The Clarinet magazine, including profiles of noted clarinetists Sabine Meyer and Anthony Gigliotti, as well as a revealing expose of the Marx Brothers' bubble-blowing clarinet. She has taught clarinet at Mid-America Nazarene College and Emporia State University. Talley reads as much as time allows (not nearly enough) and loves to cook, and especially bake.