Libby Hanssen is a writer, researcher, and curiosity-seeker. She's the Public Services Associate at UMKC Marr Sound Archives, a family historian, and freelance writer, published in KC Studio, KCUR and Classical KC, The Kansas City Star, and The Pitch.

 

Libby is the author of "States of Swing: The History of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, 2003-2023." Along with degrees in trombone performance from Ball State University and UMKC Conservatory, Libby studied music education at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and was a Fellow for the NEA Arts Journalism Institute at Columbia University. She performs with the Monday Night Big Band at the Kansas City Kansas Community College.