2023 40 Under 40: Kenny Kabak

While Kenny Kabak directs music for a church, it’s an entrepreneurial spirit that’s been a thread in his young career.

It’s led him to co-found two choirs – the Queen City Chorale in the wake of the pandemic and the Springfield Street Choir to give a voice to the homeless community. Kabak’s entrepreneurism even got him an internship in South Africa, with the Drakensberg Boys Choir School, while earning his music education and conducting degrees from Missouri State University. The international work is still his proudest professional accomplishment.

“I led an extensive three-week tour of Japan, performing multiple concerts in sold-out venues,” he recalls. “And I was culturally expanded beyond what I had ever thought possible.”

At the heart, Kabak, 29, is a teacher of music. As he puts it, his skills are in music – “but my passion is bringing communities together, sharing our stories through song, and leaving a lasting tune on the hearts and lives of those who I’m so privileged to meet and work with.”

Your first job? At 14 years old, a busboy at a small pizzeria in rural Missouri.

Your most treasured possession? A handwritten note from my late mother.

Favorite TV show? “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Favorite food item to order in the Springfield area? French dip from Neighbor’s Mill.